BARIPADA: A day after an ICDS team rescued a five-month-old baby girl from Dhatika village in Suliapada block, the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) on Saturday informed that it would counsel the child’s parents to ascertain why they chose to hand over their daughter to someone else.
The baby belonged to tribal couple, Mohana Hansdah (40) and his wife Lakhia (35) of Sonpuria under Kohi GP in Moroda. They had allegedly handed over the child to Manoranjan alias Bapi Behera of Dhatika village.
However, when locals saw Mohana, accompanied by Bapi, leaving his house along with the baby on Friday, they informed the matter to child development project officer Bijaylaxmi Dandpat suspecting the couple had sold their child. The baby was eventually rescued from Bapi’s house. There were claims that the baby would have been supplied to West Bengal had she not been rescued in time. However, Dandpat refuted the allegations.
“The couple had provided the baby to Bapi to take proper care of her as faced with extreme poverty, they were not in a condition to raise another kid,” she said. The couple already has four sons and as many daughters. At present, the health condition of the baby is good and special care is being taken care of her.
She further said the CWC would counsel the couple after which steps would be taken to ensure the baby is well taken care of. Meanwhile following the incident, locals have urged the CWC to conduct an awareness drive on child rehabilitation rules in both rural and urban areas of the district.