Beed: Widowed Beggar Gives Birth, Asks Authorities To Send Child To Shelter Home

Beed: In a heartbreaking incident highlighting the vulnerability of the destitute, a 40-year-old widowed woman who begs for a living gave birth to a severely underweight infant and repeatedly left Beed District Hospital to beg on the streets. She reportedly told social workers to send the infant to a shelter.

The newborn, weighing just 1.4 kg, is currently battling for survival while receiving oxygen support in the Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU). Doctors said feeding was initiated on Thursday, but the child’s condition remains critical.

Hospital authorities and local activists are now grappling with complex legal and rehabilitation-related challenges. The District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) and child welfare advocates have stepped in to determine the infant’s legal custody and investigate the circumstances surrounding the woman’s pregnancy.

According to hospital sources, the woman delivered at around 12.30am on October 4. She reportedly told attendants that she had given birth outdoors near the Beed central bus stand before being brought to the district hospital. When questioned about her background, she revealed that she had previously had a child with disabilities who had died, although she could not recall when.

Despite being formally admitted to the maternity ward, the mother repeatedly leaves the hospital and goes to the bus terminus and nearby intersections to beg. “If I go out, I might get five or ten rupees,” she reportedly told hospital staff. Medical attendants noted that she appeared detached from the infant’s critical condition and had inquired about the child’s health only once over several days.

The woman, whom social workers described as being intellectually vulnerable, has been unable to identify the child’s father. Activists suspect that she may have been sexually exploited because of her destitution and mental condition.

Social activist Adv Tatwashil Kamble visited the hospital to assess the situation and offer support. During their interaction, the woman expressed her inability to raise the child, pleading, “Sir, please put the baby in an ashram (shelter home).”

Adv Kamble said a decision on placing the infant in a shelter would be taken after the child’s condition improved.

Attending paediatricians confirmed that the infant would not be discharged until the respiratory issues stabilised and the child gained adequate weight. Meanwhile, the woman’s frequent departures from the hospital continue to complicate both medical care protocols and legal intervention efforts.