Mumbai: 'battered' baby girl admitted to KEM

A three-month-old baby girl has been admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit at KEM Hospital, Parel, in a critical condition after suffering extensive head injuries. The doctors suspect she was battered, making it the third such case in the city this year. Menaka Rao and Priyanka Vora report.

A three-month-old baby girl has been admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit at KEM Hospital, Parel, in a critical condition after suffering extensive head injuries. The doctors suspect she was battered, making it the third such case in the city this year.

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The baby, Ahuti Joshi, was brought to the hospital by her parents on Monday. “She had multiple fractures on her head and severe head injury. We suspect the baby was battered,” said Dr Mukesh Agarwal, head of pediatrics, KEM hospital.

“Her parents said the child was unconscious, but they did not mention anything about the head injuries. The CT-scan revealed that she had suffered internal bleeding in the head,” Dr Agarwal said.

The doctors said the child’s twin sister died suspiciously when she was just 12 days old. The psychiatry department of the civic hospital will conduct a detailed examination of the parents in a few days.

Though hospital authorities claimed they had alerted the Bhoiwada police, senior police inspector Vikram Patil said, “We have not received any report from the hospital.”


Child Assault

In February, Menaka Thakur, 7, was allegedly beaten up by her stepmother and suffered leg fractures and external injuries

In August, a 2-year old girl from Dharavi was suspected to have died due to constant abuse from her parents.