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INDORE: A newborn girl — stabbed six times in her neck, chest and abdomen soon after birth — died in a government hospital in Indore late Thursday night despite desperate efforts by surgeons to save her.

Medical staff at MY Hospital, who worked round the clock to save the child, were left heartbroken as they counted down the last breaths of the little one. Swathed in bandages, the baby had fought till the end but the wounds were far too grievous.

“It is a case of female infanticide. I am shocked. In 25 years as a doctor, I have never seen such brutal assault on such a tender baby. This should never happen,” MY Hospital paediatric department HoD Dr Brijesh Lahoti told TOI.

Police also suspect it’s female infanticide, but haven’t identified a suspect yet. The baby’s parents say they have no clue who stabbed her.

The child’s parents belong to a nomadic tribe. She was born at a government hospital in Mohan Barodia area of Shajapur district, about 100km from Indore, on February 12.

Mother and child were discharged and returned to their home in Khurasat village. They rushed to the district hospital the same day, with the baby covered in blood.

Baby had over half-a-dozen wounds inflicted by a sharp object, says doctor

The mother told doctors that when she removed the clothes swaddling her baby, she saw blood oozing out of several wounds. The district hospital referred her to MY Hospital in Indore.

“The baby had over half-a-dozen wounds on her neck, chest and abdomen,” said Dr Lahoti. A series of complex surgeries followed. A portion of her intestine that was damaged was removed. The chest wounds were lung-deep. “We tried our best, but failed. The extent of injuries was far beyond the tender body could handle,” he said.

Who stabbed her is a mystery. The baby’s father and maternal uncle claimed they were not in the house when the injuries were found. The mother claimed: “Would a mother ever hurt her child?” The baby was the couple’s second girl.

Doctors at both the district hospital in Shajapur and Indore informed police. A case of attempted murder had been filed on Thursday in Mohan Barodia police station, which has jurisdiction over the mother’s village. “We are awaiting details from Indore. A case of murder will be filed on basis of the postmortem report,” police station incharge Uday Singh Alawa said.

The body was handed over to her family after autopsy. Sanyogitaganj CSP Jyoti Umath, who recorded statements of the parents and relatives, said they denied any hand in the child’s death. “The mother’s claim that she was not aware what happened seems a bit far from truth,” said the CSP.

