Dhanbad: A woman died following an alleged botched abortion in Jharkhand’s Dhanbad district after a suspected illegal foetal sex determination test. Police have arrested her husband and the operator of a diagnostic centre in connection with the case.
The deceased, identified as Kiran Kumari, was reportedly three to four months pregnant. Her family has alleged that her husband pressured her to undergo an abortion after learning that the foetus was female.
Police arrested her husband, Sonu Kewat, and Sachin Kewat, the operator of Central Diagnostic Centre at Shyamdih Chowk. The centre has also been sealed as part of the investigation.
According to Kiran’s brother, Chandrika Kumar, the couple already had a daughter. Family members alleged that Sonu arranged a foetal sex determination test during the second pregnancy and pressured Kiran to terminate it after learning that she was carrying a girl.
The family alleged that Kiran suffered excessive bleeding during the abortion procedure and her condition deteriorated rapidly. She was taken to Sanjeevani Hospital, where doctors declared her dead.
Family protests, police launch investigation
Following her death, relatives staged a protest on the hospital premises and demanded strict action against those responsible. They also alleged that doctors and adequate medical assistance were not available in time at the hospital.
Katras Sub-Divisional Police Officer Ajit Kumar Vimal confirmed the incident, saying a police team reached the spot after receiving information and initiated an investigation. Preliminary findings indicated that the death may have resulted from an improperly conducted abortion and severe blood loss, he said.
A team from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) has also been called in to conduct scientific and technical examinations as investigators work to establish the circumstances surrounding the woman’s death.
Foetal sex determination is prohibited by law
Prenatal sex determination for the purpose of identifying a foetus’s sex is prohibited under India’s Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC-PNDT) Act, 1994. The law aims to prevent sex selection and the misuse of prenatal diagnostic techniques.
The investigation is ongoing, and the allegations against the arrested individuals remain subject to legal proceedings.
-IANS