Abandoned infant girl 'rescued' in capital

Ranchi: The district Childline on Friday rescued an infant girl from the house of a former Army man here.

The ex-Army man found the baby in a dump three days ago near Jagannathpur and took her to his home without informing police. After getting a tip-off from the man’s neighbours, Child Welfare Committee ( CWC ) with the help of Childline authorities took the baby away.

Talking to TOI, CWC Ranchi chairperson Rupa Kumari said, “The neighbours initially informed police, but the latter ignored the matter. After we were informed about the issue, we tried to rescue the baby. Since the couple had become emotionally attached to the girl, we faced a lot of resistance while taking her away.” She added, “The man had no idea that it was his duty to inform the authorities once he found the child. He can be prosecuted for this lapse.”

“I will be summoning both the couple and Jagannathpur police for not cooperating with CWC. But for now, our first priority is the physical well-being of the child. She is undergoing treatment at a city-based hospital,” Kumari said.

Monika Arya, convener of Paa Lo Na, an NGO working to reduce instances of infanticide in the state, said, “When someone comes across an abandoned child, the usual response is to provide the infant proper medical care and save the life of the child. Most people aren’t even aware of the fact that if they are taking an infant to their home without informing the authorities it makes them a party to a crime, even though they are actually doing something good.”

When asked what a person should do after spotting an abandoned infant, the district child protection officer of Ranchi, Sewak Ram Lohra, said, “The correct step is to inform police or Childline on 1098.”