India: 20-Day-Old Baby Buried Alive Rescued and Hospitalised. Image: BBC News.
(The Post News)– Indian hospital authorities confirmed on Thursday that a baby girl who is only 20 days old was found alive in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh after being buried alive and is fighting for her life in the hospital.
When a shepherd was taking his goats for grazing, he heard faint cries coming from under a mound of earth. Once he went closer, he saw a tiny hand sticking out of the mud. He then alerted the villagers. They called the police, who came and dug out the baby. For now the police said they don’t know who might be the suspect.
According to the BBC, similar cases of abandonment and attempts to kill female children were blamed on India’s preference for sons, which is widely acknowledged to be the reason for its skewed gender ratio. The incident took place in the Shahjahanpur district in India’s most populous state. The baby is being treated in the neonatal intensive care unit of the government-run medical college and hospital there.
20-Day-Old Baby Rescued on Monday
Medical college principal Dr. Rajesh Kumar told the BBC that the infant was brought in on Monday, smeared in dirt and gasping for air, as mud had gone into her mouth and nostrils. She was in critical condition, showing signs of hypoxia, or oxygen deficiency. She had been bitten by insects and also some animals.
“After 24 hours we saw a minor improvement in her condition, but she has since deteriorated. She has developed an infection,” Kumar said. He believed the baby had been found soon after she was buried, as her wounds were still fresh. A team of doctors, including a plastic surgeon, was treating the baby, and they were trying to control her infection.
“The prognosis is grave, but we are trying our best to save her,” he added. A police official said they have informed the child helpline, as their attempts to track down the baby’s parents have not been successful yet.
India is known to have one of the worst gender ratios in the world. Women face lifelong social discrimination, and girls are seen as a financial burden, particularly among poor communities.
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