Madhya Pradesh: Morena couple arrested for strangulating newborn girl to death
Police inspector Ajay Channa said the couple, Anju Rawat and Shailendra Rawat, have been booked under the Indian Penal Code’s Section 302 (murder) for female infanticide
A newborn girl’s parents were arrested on Thursday for allegedly strangulating her at a hospital in Madhya Pradesh’s Morena, a police officer said.
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Police inspector Ajay Channa said the couple, Anju Rawat and Shailendra Rawat, have been booked under the Indian Penal Code’s Section 302 (murder) for female infanticide.
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“Anju gave birth to the baby girl four days ago in Morena district hospital. The baby was admitted to a Special Newborn Care Unit [SNCU] of the hospital. On Wednesday afternoon, Anju took the baby out of the SNCU ward to feed her. But when she did not return after an hour, the staff nurse called the father of the baby. Shailendra said they would not return as the baby has died,” said Channa.
Anshul Tomar, the doctor in charge, sensed something amiss and informed the police and also sent the baby’s body for post-mortem. “In the preliminary post-mortem report, the cause of death was found to be strangulation.”
Police said they were interrogating the couple to know why they killed the baby.
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Police superintendent Anurag Sujaniya said the carelessness of the hospital administration has also come to light. “Why did they allow the mother to take the baby outside the ward when there is a feeding room inside the ward?”
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Police superintendent Anurag Sujaniya said the carelessness of the hospital administration has also come to light. “Why did they allow the mother to take the baby outside the ward when there is a feeding room inside the ward?”
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.
