Ashoknagar (Madhya Pradesh): A one-day-old baby girl was allegedly strangled to death while admitted to the Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) of Ashoknagar district hospital, prompting police to launch an investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death.
According to officials, the post-mortem examination indicated strangulation as the cause of death. Compression marks were reportedly found on the newborn’s neck, while bleeding from her mouth was also observed.
The infant was born to Bhavana, wife of Kedar Vishwakarma, a resident of Sakbara village in the Chanderi area. Bhavana delivered the baby girl at around 3.30 am on Saturday. Shortly after birth, the newborn was admitted to the SNCU for medical care.
However, late Saturday evening, the baby was found dead. Family members reportedly noticed marks on her neck and blood coming from her mouth and informed the police, suspecting foul play.
Kotwali police reached the hospital and began an investigation. Following the post-mortem findings, police are probing who had access to the infant and the circumstances that led to her death inside the restricted SNCU.
The investigation has also faced a hurdle as CCTV cameras are reportedly not installed inside the SNCU.
Civil Surgeon Dr BP Tyagi said there was no record of relatives other than the infant's mother and grandmother visiting the newborn inside the unit.
The baby's grandmother, Rajan Bai, had reportedly taken the infant to feed her milk. The baby's father and other family members were also present at the hospital, and police are examining all circumstances and questioning those who may have had access to the newborn.
The incident has raised serious questions over security and monitoring inside the hospital's SNCU, where entry is generally restricted.
Police have registered a case and intensified their investigation following the post-mortem findings.
