Shepherds who were grazing their cattle and passing by a deserted stretch in the outskirts of Krishnavaram village in Andhra Pradesh heard a baby crying. They followed the cries and were shocked to find a newborn baby boy abandoned and buried in a pit. The incident took place in Yetapaka mandal in East Godavari district on Saturday morning. Immediately, the locals were informed and women from the nearby village rushed to the spot. A video of the women cleaning the wailing baby with water and removing mud from the mouth later surfaced.
Speaking to TNM, Yetapaka Sub-Inspector said, “The police were alerted by the locals and the baby was immediately shifted to the hospital. The baby weighed around a kg. A case has been registered under Section 317 (exposure and abandonment of a child under twelve years, by parent or person having care of it) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and investigation is underway.”
According to Section 317, parents or guardians caught for this crime can be punished with imprisonment of up to seven years and can also be fined.
According to the local women who first came to the baby’s rescue, the infant seemed to have been delivered the same morning. The baby was handed over to the local health staff who later reached the location. The baby is undergoing treatment at Bhadrachalam hospital and is stable now.
Women Development and Child Welfare Department officials are working with the Yetapaka police hoping to identify the parents. The police are also checking with hospitals in nearby villages to check details about all the deliveries that took place on Saturday.
Under the union government’s Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS), every district in the country is mandated to have a cradle baby reception centre, where parents or guardians who are unable to take care of a child can drop them in a cradle, mostly located at Primary Health Care Centres (PHCs). The Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), then mandates that the abandoned child must be rescued and looked after with due care and affection, till they can be given up for adoption.