Now, foetus found buried in Solapur

Close on the heels of rising female foeticide cases in Beed and Latur, yet another such case has come to light, this time in Solapur. A midwife from Upase Hospital in Solapur was arrested for burying an 18-week-old foetus at a burial ground in Solapur allegedly after a mother of three girls underwent an abortion.

Besides the midwife Lalita Kambale, the police have also arrested Sangeeta Gurav, a medical officer from Upase Hospital. The mother of the foetus, Kalpana Konda, and her husband Kashinath have also been arrested. Kambale and Gurav, who were arrested on Friday, were on Saturday produced before a judicial magistrate (first class), who remanded them in police custody till June 25.

The Kondas, who were arrested on Saturday, are yet to be produced before the court. The doctor couple, Ajit Upase and his wife Priyadarshini, who owns the hospital, is yet to be arrested.

"Post-mortem analysis revealed that it was an 18-week-old female foetus. A team of four officers, including myself, arrived at Upase Hospital on Friday afternoon. The doctor couple was not present and we found a houseman named Vallabh Upase there who could not give satisfactory replies on the couple's whereabouts,” said Dr Shahaji Gaikwad, health officer, Solapur Municipal Corporation (SMC).

“We took all relevant F forms in custody and sealed the ultrasound machines, three probes (a long thin metal tool used by doctors for examining inside the body) and the doctor's cabin," he said.

Assistant commissioner of police, CR Rode, said, "Bharatiya Janata Party corporator Suvarna Hiremath was returning home after attending a function with her husband Shadakshari on Thursday afternoon when they spotted Kambale carrying a blue carry bag. Suspecting foul play, they followed Kambale and called the police when she entered a burial ground. However, Kambale had left before a police team could reach the spot. Later, she was tracked down and picked up."

"The burial ground records revealed that a wrong entry was made regarding this foetus. Even the death certificate of Upase Hospital submitted at the burial ground mentioned that the foetus was of Gulbarga resident Shobha Patil. It took us two hours to locate the buried foetus and exhume it. The burial ground caretaker told us that the hospital had buried some foetuses earlier as well," he said.

Jodbhavi police station inspector VB Shirke said, "Kambale claimed that Gurav paid her Rs300 to dispose of the foetus. We then went to the hospital and talked to the Upases who claimed to be ignorant. Then the doctor couple left the hospital. We took Gurav to police station and questioned her. She claimed that the baby was normal when she carried out a sonography on June 19. She alleged that Upase directed her to give abortion pills to Kalpana Konda on the same day. However, the Upases could not be found when we again visited the hospital."

The arrested people have been slapped with charges of committing an act done with intent to prevent a child being born alive or to cause it to die after birth (IPC section 315), concealment of birth by secret disposal of dead body (IPC section 318), causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender (IPC section 201), criminal breach of trust (IPC section 405) and making a false document (IPC section 464).