In what appears to be a case of female infanticide, a newly born girl was found stuffed inside two gunny bags in Meerut on Monday. Rescued by locals, doctors say the infant is stable and is responding to treatment.
An FIR has been registered against unidentified persons under Sections 307 and 317 of the Indian Penal Code by Meerut Police. Sub-inspector Sunil Kumar, who was the first police official to reach the spot, said they had received a complaint on 112 that an infant had been found in the garbage pile near Kailash dairy in Shatabadi Nagar in Partapur police station.
“When we reached the spot, the locals present said when they heard the cries of an infant, they reached the spot and found it inside a backpack which was packed inside two gunny bags. We took the infant to Pyarelal Hospital in the PCR van,” he said, adding prima facie, it appeared to be a case of female infanticide.
Senior paediatrician Amar Singh said the infant was only a few hours old and when she reached the hospital she was suffering from hypothermia and severe respiratory stress. “We put her in the warmer machine and provided supplemental oxygen. I would say the child was lucky. Help reached her at just the right time. Now her vitals are stable. Oxygen support has been removed and we are trying to feed her. She seems to be on the path of recovery but still, she needs to be under clinical observation for some more time,” the doctor said.
Lokesh Chaudhary, a resident of Delhi, who informed the police said, he was going to meet a relative when he saw a crowd near Kailash dairy. “People had taken the newly born out of cement bags but they were reluctant in taking her to the hospital or calling the police. They seemed more interested in making videos. I offered to take her to the hospital but when nobody agreed, I dialled 112, he said. Ironically, he added, they were cursing her parents for being inhuman but were not keen on saving the child.
A woman who was present on the spot said she heard the cries of an infant. “The way some people took her out of the bags was highly insensitive. She could have died. It was timely intervention of some large-hearted people that saved her,” she said.
