Teenage rape victim delivers stillborn baby in open air as CHC staff refuses admission

MEERUT A teenage rape victim allegedly delivered a stillborn baby in the open at Sardhana Community Health Center (CHC) on Friday after medical staff refused to admit her.

District magistrate Deepak Meena has formed a three-member committee which includes additional district magistrate (finance) Suryakant Tripathi, additional municipal magistrate Rashmi Baranwal and additional chief medical officer Dr Praveen Gautam. The committee was instructed to submit its report in two days.

According to reports, the family of a 14-year-old pregnant girl, a rape victim, arrived at the CHC early Friday morning. The girl was in great pain and the family asked staff to admit her. They later claimed that staff refused to admit the girl who gave birth to a stillborn baby into the open air.

The case was reported to the police because it involved a raped pregnancy. The police were also outraged by the callous attitude of the CHC staff.

SP (rural) Kamlesh Bahdaur said the girl was six months pregnant and the family members had not informed the police about the rape incident. He said the rape accused was identified as the girl's neighbor Subhash, 32, and a case of rape was registered against him under sections of the POCSO Act. “The accused was arrested following the family’s complaint,” Bahadur said, adding that the girl was under treatment and her statement would be recorded after seeking permission from doctors.

According to reports, the accused raped the girl almost eight months ago and made a video of it. He then began taking undue advantage of her, after blackmailing her and threatening to make the video go viral. Meanwhile, the girl became pregnant and the family members brought her to the CHC on Friday morning when her condition deteriorated.

Chief medical officer Dr Akhilesh Mohan, however, said that prima facie it appeared that abortion pills were administered to her and she delivered a dead fetus. He claimed that due process was followed during the delivery and if there was any negligence, it would come to light during the committee's investigation.

He said the fetus had been sent for autopsy and the cause of death would be ascertained in the report. DNA testing of the fetus would also be carried out for investigation purposes.