Newborn Girl Miraculously Survives 20-Foot Borewell Drop in Vidisha, Mother Apprehended
In a harrowing incident that underscores the persistent issue of infant abandonment, a newborn girl was rescued after being lowered into a 20-foot-deep dry borewell in Madhya Pradesh's Vidisha district. The infant, abandoned by her mother within hours of birth, survived the ordeal thanks to a makeshift cloth sling that likely cushioned her fall.
Rescue Operation Triggered by Faint Cries
The drama unfolded in Parsari village under the Kurwai police station limits. On Friday morning, a local youth passing by the borewell heard faint cries emanating from the depths below. Acting swiftly, he alerted the police via Dial 112. Police teams rushed to the scene, successfully pulling the baby out of the well. The infant was initially shifted to a local healthcare facility for emergency care.
Subsequently, she was transferred to the district hospital, where doctors reported her condition as stable and improving. "Our first priority was to rush the infant to the hospital. Thereafter, a case was registered... By the grace of god the infant survived," stated Kurwai Station House Officer Pankaj Geete.
Mother's Confession and Arrest
Investigations led to the arrest of the 22-year-old mother, who had given birth around 7 AM on Saturday and abandoned the child less than two hours later. The woman, employed in Indore, had concealed her pregnancy from her family following an alleged relationship. During police questioning, she confessed to the act, detailing how she tied one end of a pair of leggings to create a sling, placed the infant inside, and lowered her into the well. Police noted that this improvised sling appears to have prevented a direct impact, potentially saving the baby's life.
Madhya Pradesh Tops National Infant Abandonment Charts
While this newborn survived by the barest of margins, the incident casts a stark light on a deeper societal malaise: the abandonment of newborn girls. Alarmingly, only a fraction of such cases result in recovery and rescue. According to the National Crime Records Bureau's (NCRB) Crime in India 2023 report, Madhya Pradesh recorded 140 cases of infant abandonment last year, the highest in the country out of 653 cases nationwide.
The state has consistently reported elevated numbers over recent years:
- 187 cases in 2019
- 186 cases in 2020
- 159 cases in 2021
- 174 cases in 2022
Furthermore, the 2023 data highlights 20 cases of foeticide and 12 cases of infanticide in Madhya Pradesh, underscoring the ongoing vulnerability faced by newborn girls in the region. This tragic pattern calls for urgent attention and intervention to protect the most vulnerable members of society.
