LUCKNOW: Veer, the newborn who was found in a bag in Patna-Chandigarh Special Train under Moradabad jurisdiction on June 22 is not only the apple of every eye in the Women’s Hospital where he is recuperating after fighting for life, but also the one who has drawn a long queue of over 40 families willing to adopt him.
As per Moradabad district probation officer SP Gautam, after surviving extreme conditions of breathlessness while being inside a bag for almost 10 hours, the infant—now lovingly named Veer by the hospital staff—is showing signs of recovery.
After being recovered by the passengers onboard the Patna-Chandigarh Special Train, the infant boy was rushed to the Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) at the Women’s Hospital in Moradabad.
According to Dr Nirmala Pathak, the Chief Medical Superintendent of Women’s Hospital, Veer was initially placed on CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) due to severe breathing difficulties caused by oxygen deprivation.
He had been trapped in the bag for nearly 10 hours, which had led to hypoxia—a condition that could have been fatal had he not received timely medical care.
Dr Pathak said that the infant’s respiratory rate was abnormally high and was kept on CPAP support for 72 hours and was later shifted to standard oxygen support.
“As his condition improved, oxygen support was gradually withdrawn, and he is now breathing independently,” she added.
The doctor also claimed that had the child remained in the bag for two more hours, it would have been impossible to save him. However, Veer is still facing difficulty in feeding and is being nourished via IV drips.
“First, he survived for hours in a bag, and then he fought for his life in the ICU. He truly deserves the name Veer (which means brave),” said one of the hospital’s staff members.
Once Veer gets better completely, he will be handed over to Childline, a government-supported child welfare organisation. Meanwhile, law enforcement authorities were actively looking for people who had abandoned the child in the train.
As per Railway Protection Force (RPF) commandant Utkarsh Narayan, a SIM card was also recovered from the bag in which the infant was found and the authorities were trying to locate the culprit through electronic surveillance.
In another case of abandonment and eventual adoption, an infant girl who was found in the bushes near Gagan Tiraha in Mainather on the eve of Dhanteras last year, has finally found a home. Lakshmi had been grievously injured by stray dogs, with deep wounds on her hip.
She spent nearly six weeks at the SNCU of the Women’s Hospital. The girl was finally adopted by a Chennai-based doctor couple.