Decoy ops to catch ultrasound centres conducting gender tests - Hindustan Times
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Decoy ops to catch ultrasound centres conducting gender tests

ByGaurav Saigal, Lucknow
Aug 09, 2022 11:05 PM IST

The teams for decoy operations are made at the district level and monitored by the directorate of family welfare.

Decoy operations will now catch ultrasound centres conducting a gender determination test of a foetus. The family welfare department of the state has rejuvenated its teams for conducting decoy raids involving medical teams, police and local administration and a pregnant woman. Revealing the sex of the unborn child is a crime in India and includes a fine and a prison term.

The department had initiated the decoy operations in 2017, but only a dozen could be conducted till 2019. With the Covid pandemic, things came to a complete halt. (FOR REPRESENTATION PURPOSE)
The department had initiated the decoy operations in 2017, but only a dozen could be conducted till 2019. With the Covid pandemic, things came to a complete halt. (FOR REPRESENTATION PURPOSE)

A pregnant woman in such an operation undergoes an ultrasound to see if the staff or a doctor at a centre reveals the gender of the foetus. This helps in building a strong legal case against the culprits. The department had initiated the decoy operations in 2017, but only a dozen could be conducted till 2019. With the Covid pandemic, things came to a complete halt.

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But now, the department has decided to restart its investigations. “The speed of such operations was slow during the Covid pandemic and we are now trying to make it our priority,” said Dr Ashwani Kumar, joint director, PC-PNDT (pre-conception pre-natal diagnostic technique) in the family welfare directorate.

“We had conducted 12 operations till 2019 and recently conducted two operations, and the report of the same was awaited,” said Dr Ashwani Kumar.

Such actions work in two ways, said experts. “First the decoy operations check illegal activities and secondly instil confidence to keep doing good work in those who are doing ethical practice,” said Dr Abhishek Shukla, secretary-general association of international doctors.

The teams for decoy operations are made at the district level and monitored by the directorate of family welfare.

Explainer: What is a decoy operation?

Under a decoy operation, first, the feedback of an ultrasound centre is taken as to whether they are said to be conducting sex-determination tests or not. After making sure that a particular centre was indulged in this illegal practice, a team is formed, which also includes a pregnant woman.

The team also comprises health staff, police and administration. The pregnant woman undergoes an ultrasound at the said centre accompanied by another woman posing as her relative. They ask for the gender of the child in the womb.

If a deal is struck, the pregnant woman goes inside for an ultrasound. She is generally equipped with cameras, and when a doctor or staff tells or is about to reveal the gender, the entire team reaches and lodges a legal case.

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