Newborn girl found abandoned in thorny bushes, rainwater in MP’s Raisen forest

Raisen, Sep 2 (IANS) A newborn baby girl was found abandoned in thorny bushes and rainwater in a forested area of Madhya Pradesh’s Raisen district, where she is suspected to have remained for nearly four hours after birth before being rescued, police said.

The infant was found in Dungariya Khurd village under Bamhauri tehsil on Tuesday after a shepherd grazing livestock heard her cries.

He followed the sound and found the baby lying in water amid thorny bushes, with no one else present at the spot.

The shepherd informed ASHA and Anganwadi workers, following which police and villagers reached the location and rescued the infant.

She was initially taken to the Bamhauri Sub-Health Centre and later referred to hospitals in Silwani and Raisen as her condition was considered serious.

At the Raisen District Hospital, the baby was admitted to the Sick Newborn Care Unit (SNCU), where doctors are keeping her under close observation. S

NCU in-charge Dr Alok Rai said the baby had injury marks caused by the thorny bushes and her body had become stiff after being exposed to rainwater. She was also weak and hungry when brought to the hospital.

Doctors suspect that the baby was born around 5 a.m. and was abandoned in the forest shortly afterwards. She is believed to have remained exposed to rainwater and insects for three to four hours before being found.

Bamhauri police have registered a case against the unknown parents and launched an investigation to trace them.

Bamhauri police station house officer Pritam Singh Rajput said the spot where the infant was found was a dense forest inhabited by wild animals, making the abandonment particularly dangerous.

“Leaving a newborn in such a forest could have proved fatal. We have registered a case against unknown persons and are making inquiries in the surrounding villages to identify the parents,” Rajput said.

Police teams are conducting inquiries in the forest and nearby villages to establish how the baby was brought there and identify those responsible.

Meanwhile, Child Welfare Committee member Mamta Patel visited the district hospital after learning about the incident and enquired with doctors about the infant’s condition and treatment.

The committee has initiated the process for further action concerning the abandoned child, Patel told IANS on Wednesday. She further shared that the baby would remain under medical supervision for the next three to four days.

–IANS

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