Minor delivers premature baby, cops hunt for father

BHOPAL: A minor girl in the city delivered a premature baby in washroom after consuming abortion pills on Friday. The minor, who had hidden the pregnancy from her family, abandoned the child who was later found by police. As Childline authorities swung into action, the teenage girl came forward and owned up to the baby who later died in the hospital.
On Friday morning, locals of Kevliwali Gali of Sikandari Saraye locality found a premature baby girl abandoned in a resident’s verandah.They then informed police who arrived later. While they started looking for the mother, police admitted the baby to Sultania Hospital. They called Childline who took the baby into their custody.
As police investigated the case, they found a minor girl to be the mother of the baby. During counselling with Childline, she confessed to having abandoned the baby in order to keep her pregnancy hidden from her family.
Speaking to TOI, Childline director Archana Sahaye said that the girl and her mother sell tobacco products in trains. The girl was reportedly in relationship with a tea-seller at Itawa railway station. She had physical relations with him which led to her pregnancy.
“It was much later in the pregnancy that the girl realized that she was expecting. When she told the father of the child about it he asked her to get an abortion. The man told her that he could not marry her as she was a minor, and fearing consequences the girl tool abortion pills in the seventh month of pregnancy,” Sahaye said.
She added that the baby was born on Friday morning, a night after the girl consumed the pills. She gave birth in her washroom, cleaned the baby, wrapped it in old clothes and left it in a neighbour’s verandah who later found the baby and informed police.
After the child was found, a complaint was filed at Bajaria police station. The girl later owned up to abandoning the baby. “The baby was taken to the Sultania Hospital and was later referred to Kamla Nehru hospital where she was kept in intensive care. Being weak, the baby could not survive and died at 8pm on Friday,” Archana Sahaye informed.
Investigating Officer ASI Dilip Singh Rajput told TOI that a post-mortem was conducted on Saturday along with a DNA test to establish proof that the baby belonged to the minor. The police have not been able to trace the father of the child so far. “We are still searching for the man. He will be booked in a rape case under Section 376 of IPC and POCSO Act as the girl is a minor”, said ASI Rajput.