Kolkata, Nov 7 (IANS) A 16-year-old girl has been accused of throwing a newborn baby out of a window after giving birth in the toilet of a private nursing home in Uttarpara in West Bengal’s Hooghly district, police said on Saturday.
The incident triggered widespread outrage in the area and led to a commotion at the nursing home in Ward number 15 of Uttarpara Municipality in Hooghly district.
Officers from Uttarpara Police Station reached the spot after receiving the information. Investigators are probing the entire incident.
According to the police, the minor, a resident of Howrah, was admitted to the Uttarpara nursing home by her family members late on Friday night after she experienced stomach pain. The family claimed that they did not even know that the girl was pregnant.
They admitted her to the hospital thinking that she had a simple stomach ache. The owner of the nursing home and doctor Sucheta Mukherjee also claimed that they did not know that the girl was pregnant.
Local resident Souvik Das told reporters that he was working in the area around 8 a.m. on Saturday. Suddenly, he heard the sound of something falling from above. When he went closer, he saw a newborn lying on the ground.
He claimed that a nurse from the nursing home quickly came down, picked up the child, and went inside.
Nursing home owner Sucheta Mukherjee said that after being admitted late on Friday night, the minor’s blood was tested on Saturday morning. When her stomach pain increased in the morning, she walked to the toilet herself. There, it is alleged that she gave birth alone and threw the newborn through the window.
When the family members were repeatedly asked about this during her admission to the nursing home, they claimed that they did not know anything about it.
Local residents expressed anger and demanded that the administration take strict legal action against the culprits.
Uttarpara BJP MLA Dipanjan Chakraborty said, “I went to the police station. I will ask for the strictest punishment. There are many nursing homes that are not following any rules and regulations. Action will be taken against them. The girl who has been admitted is a minor. I assure you that the strictest punishment will be taken in this incident.”
–IANS
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