Bhilwara: The Rajasthan Police have detained a woman and her father on charges of stuffing a pebble into the mouth of a newborn, sealing its lips with glue and abandoning it in a forest in the Bhilwara district of Rajasthan a few days ago.
The baby boy was rescued two days ago and is now battling for life at the Bhilwara Medical College. The police have claimed that the child was born out of wedlock and the decision to abandon it was taken to avoid ostracisation.
According to the police, the baby was born out of an illicit relationship. Fearing social taboo, the woman and her father had rented a room in Bundi using fake identities and got the delivery done there. They also tried to sell the baby, but when the plan didn’t work out, they abandoned the baby after a few weeks.
The baby was just 19 days old when he was found. The pebble was allegedly stuffed in his mouth to ensure he couldn’t cry and alert others.
The baby was spotted by a shepherd who was alerted by his faint cries while grazing goats in Mandalgarh. He immediately informed the police and villagers. The baby was rescued and admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit at Mahatma Gandhi Hospital.
“We have detained a woman based on intelligence inputs. She is being interrogated. Preliminary inputs suggest she had an affair with a man. The child was born out of their relationship. She then abandoned the baby,” Dharmendra Singh Yadav, SP, Bhilwara, said.
A DNA test will be conducted to confirm the child’s relationship with the woman.
While the infant’s condition has improved, it is still not out of danger, doctors said. The baby is under oxygen support as he is facing difficulty breathing on his own. He also suffered burn injuries after coming into contact with hot stones.
