Female foeticide case detected in Punjab, four Rahon women arrested

NAWANSHEHAR: The district administration Saturday succeeded in tracing another case of foeticide in the district and arressted two women of Rahon, a mother and daughter duo, midwife Mohinder Kaur and her daughter Balvir Kaur on the spot under the MTP Act and Section 120 of IPC.

The room, situated on the first floor of their house in which the illegal activity of aborting a foetus was being committed, was sealed and the surgical equipment used in the crime were sealed and taken in to possession by the police.

Deputy Commissioner Krishan Kumar said that a team comprising Civil Surgeon Dr Balvir Singh, DSP Gurmukh Singh Cheema, DHO Dr I.S.Shekhawat, MO Dr Usha Kiran and social activist Birval Takhi of Upkar Coordination Society, caught red-handed Mohinder Kaur and Balvir Kaur this morning at their residence in Mohalla Pahar Ganj in Rahon while committing foeticide and terminating the pregnancy of Jagir Kaur of Behloor Kalan.

DC added that the action was taken following a tip-off in the matter. Kumar maintained that his administration was committed to curb illegal foeticides in the district.  He said that apart from creating awareness among the masses through campaigns, a round-the-clock strict vigil was being kept on anti-social elements who were still involved in such heinous crimes as  foeticide. It is pertinent to mention here that a few months ago also, through a sting operation, and then first of its kind in the state, a doctor of Banga was also caught red-handed while committing female foeticide on a woman at his hospital.

The hospital is still sealed while the doctor had reportedly to spend a couple of months in jail. Similarly, another case was detected in Balachaur a couple of months ago. Not only this, a couple of cases belonging to the district but where the pregnancies were terminated in other districts including one each in Hoshiarpur, Ropar and Jalandhar districts were earlier detected by the district administration and appropriate action ensured against the guilty.

"This is 13th such case," revealed DC while warning the wrong-doers of strictest action if they failed to mend their ways. Meanwhile, a visit to the room where the crime was committed revealed that the room had all the requisite equipment needed for terminating the pregnancies.
Interestingly eyewitnesses said that after having been caught red-handed both the women could be seen fighting and accusing each other of being involved in the crime. DHO Dr Shekhawat said that they had to call the police when the duo misbehaved with them.

SDM Balachaur Arsh Deep also had also to be called in, he said. The DHO added that the aborted foetus was about three months old. As to the sex of the aborted foetus, he said it could not be ascertained whether the lady whose foetus was aborted had undergone a sex determination test or not. "When we swooped on the scene, half of the abortion had already been undertaken," he said.