South Delhi’s Dark Secret: 238 Foetuses, Newborns Abandoned

Out of the 238 dead foetuses & babies, 184 were murdered; 40 of which were from forced trauma to the head.

The government might lift the ban on sex determination of the foetus to try and combat female infanticide. (Photo: iStockPhoto)

238 foetuses and newborns were abandoned in the south Delhi region during a period of seven years between 1996 and 2012, reports a medico-legal article sent to The Quint.

While the males outnumber the females, a closer examination of the data reveals that the females outnumbered males among foetuses that were less than or equal to 20 weeks of gestational age, clearly suggesting ante-natal sex determination.

Among the 238 abandoned foetuses and newborns, 184 were murdered, 40 of which were from forced trauma to the head.

While unwanted pregnancy is the highest cause behind concealing child-birth, cases of rape, poverty, ill health of the mother and gender-bias follow behind closely.

The report reiterates the need for quick and strict measures needed to save thousands of such innocent lives from being abandoned and killed.

Video Editor: Prashant Bhardwaj