Gurugram: Probe after infant found alone at hospital

The Gurugram Child Welfare Committee (CWC) has directed officials at the civil hospital to submit a detailed report by Monday, specifically explaining how the boy, who was born at the civil hospital on December 16, was later found at the private facility.

Health department officials have initiated an inquiry following the discovery of an infant boy, born to a 15-year-old rape victim, at a private hospital near Basai Chowk on Friday. The newborn was found without any attendant or admission documents, raising serious suspicions of a trafficking attempt.

The Gurugram Child Welfare Committee (CWC) has directed officials at the civil hospital to submit a detailed report by Monday.

The Gurugram Child Welfare Committee (CWC) has directed officials at the civil hospital to submit a detailed report by Monday, specifically explaining how the boy, who was born at the civil hospital on December 16, was later found at the private facility. The roles of two Asha workers from the civil hospital are under scrutiny in the incident.

According to authorities, the sequence began when the minor victim, a Class VII student from Kadipur in Sector-10, was rushed to the civil hospital on December 16 after complaining of severe pain and subsequently gave birth. She had been repeatedly raped by a 34-year-old former neighbour, a case which was registered at Sector-10 police station on December 17. The suspect was arrested the next day and remanded to judicial custody. The victim was discharged, while her newborn was legally retained at the civil hospital for care and to be processed for adoption.

Usha Rani, chairperson of the Gurugram Child Welfare Committee (CWC), said the victim’s father had expressed his intention to put the newborn up for adoption during post-birth counselling at the hospital. “The father had told me and my team that he wants to put the baby up for adoption, which is a general practice in such cases, as keeping the baby could lead to social stigma for the victim,” Rani said.

She added that after the victim was discharged, her parents took her home, leaving the infant in the custody of the hospital authorities. However, according to Rani, the father returned to the civil hospital a couple of days later, completed the discharge formalities and took the infant with him. “The child was later found at a private hospital without any admission documents or an attendant, which prima facie gives the impression that attempts may have been made to traffic the infant by misleading the victim’s father,” Rani said.

Responding to questions on how the infant was discharged despite plans for adoption, hospital officials clarified that until a formal surrender deed is executed, the biological parents of a newborn remain its legal guardians, even in cases involving minor rape victims.

“Until the surrender deed is executed by the parents, they continue to be the legal guardians of the newborn and are legally entitled to seek discharge and take the child home,” an official said.

Officials added that adoption proceedings can only begin after the surrender process is completed in accordance with prescribed legal procedures.

The alarm was raised by the private hospital’s owner, Dr Shyam Singh, who found the infant with no documentation or register entry. A senior police official noted the situation worsened when a woman attempted to impersonate the infant’s mother at the private hospital. “The role of some employees, including two Asha workers at the civil hospital and those at the private hospital, is under the scanner,” the official said.

The infant is now back at the civil hospital receiving treatment for jaundice. A health department official confirmed the ongoing inquiry, stating a report will be submitted to the CWC and action taken against any implicated employees, with police and state government notified if a racket is uncovered.

To be sure, under standard protocol governing infants born from rape cases, the child is shifted to a designated adoption or child care centre, assigned an identity, and the details are uploaded on the official adoption portal for prospective parents. This process can only begin after the parents of the minor rape victim execute a formal surrender deed, through which the child is legally handed over to the government for placement in an orphanage and subsequent adoption.