HYDERABAD: Abandoned in nalas or bushes, only to be found dead or in some cases dragged and tossed around by stray dogs, stories of unwanted babies in Hyderabad are getting gruesome by the day.
In one such incident which came to light on Saturday, the body of a newborn male child was found floating in
Azmath Nagar nala near Ali Cafe dhobi ghat at
Yakutpura.
According to police, the body of the infant with the umbilical cord still intact was noticed around 11am by some locals, who gathered at the spot. On getting information about it, police reached the spot and retrieved the body from the sewage canal and shifted it to Osmania Hospital morgue.
According to Rein Bazaar inspector Mohd Abdul Javed preliminary investigation revealed that the baby could be about two days old and they were now on the lookout to trace the parents. “We received information about the abandoned baby from the people, who gathered at the location after spotting the infant’s body in the nala. We suspect that the baby must have been abandoned two days ago, immediately after birth,” Javed added.
A case was registered under Section 318 (Concealment of birth by secret disposal of dead body) of the IPC. Child rights activists demanded that measures should be taken to prevent such cases of newborn babies being abandoned.
Achyuta Rao of Child Rights NGO Balala Hakkula Sangham said eight such incidents were reported in Greater Hyderabad over the last seven months, where infants were thrown into canals, bushes and tanks. He also said the government should reintroduce and create awareness of ‘Ooyala’ (cradle) scheme in the state to stop infanticide.
The scheme allows parents to hand over custody of children to anganwadi centres, without revealing their identity.
Representational image
