A 37-year-old tribal woman in Tripura was forced to sell her newborn baby girl due to extreme poverty.
Mormati Tripura (39) of Taraban Colony in Gandacherra subdivision, gave birth to a daughter at home on Wednesday. The next day she sold the child to a couple in Hezamara for Rs 5,000, citing extreme poverty after her husband's demise five months ago, PTI reported quoting sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Arindam Das.
It has been stated that the woman's husband died by suicide. She was pregnant at the time of her husband's death.
According to TOI, she mortgaged her family ration card to run a family of four children.
She wanted to abort the fetus and consulted a doctor who advised her not to do so. The doctor helped her by providing whatever medicines she required for the last few months.
However, after she gave birth to the child, the mother chose to sell the baby to a couple because of poverty.
Leader of the opposition and CPI (M) state committee secretary, Jitendra Chaudhury informed the Chief Secretary about the incident.
Following this, the baby girl was rescued from the couple and reunited with the mother.
Choudhury criticised both the BJP government and the Tipra Motha-led Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) for failing to provide assistance to distressed people.
"Without government intervention, more such tragedies are inevitable in tribal areas," he warned.
(With inputs from PTI)