A three-month-old girl who was hospitalised at KEM Hospital with multiple injuries six days ago died on Sunday night.
A three-month-old girl who was hospitalised at KEM Hospital with multiple injuries six days ago died on Sunday night.
The baby, Ahuti Joshi, was admitted to the hospital with a skull fracture last week. The paediatric department, however, found that she had multiple fractures on the skull and also suffered from internal bleeding. When the baby’s parents failed to give a satisfactory explanation for her injuries, the doctors registered a case of suspected child battering at the Bhoiwada police station.
The hospital’s forensic department said an examination of the blunt wounds on the baby indicated that she was battered. “She had a healed tear in the perianal area — that’s between the vagina and the anus,” said Dr Harish Pathak, head of the department.
Ahuti’s post-mortem report states that she had fractures on a rib and her cervical vertebra, besides two on the skull. The cause of death, according to the report, was multiple traumas.
Her twin sister had died under mysterious conditions soon after birth.
The police, however, dismissed the allegation of child battering and, instead, consider it to a case of accidental death.
“The first child had died due to [complications from] a pre-mature delivery and we had registered a case of an accidental death. The second baby, too, was not in good health and was admitted to KEM Hospital a few days ago. We were informed by hospital authorities of her death. The police then went to the hospital and recorded the statements of the parents. We do not suspect any foul play in the case,” said Bhagwan Chate, senior inspector of the Borivli police station.
Ahuti’s parents, who live in Borivli, were put on psychiatric treatment at KEM Hospital.
Dr Shubhangi Parkar, psychiatrist and deputy dean of the hospital, said, “By all clinical guidelines, it is a classic case of child battering. It is unfortunate. We are going to evaluate the personalities of both the parents.”
She added that the parents’ sounded evasive each time they were questioned about their child’s injuries during counselling sessions held so far. “They have not been very cooperative.”
Dr Pathak objected to the Borivli police’s decision to register the case as one of accidental death based on the assumption that Ahuti’s injuries were caused by a premature delivery.
“A rib fracture, a lower spine fracture and skull fractures on both the sides can’t be caused by a premature delivery. The injuries are not natural and the police should investigate it accordingly,” Dr Pathak said.
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