ROURKELA: Deserted by her family for bearing a baby, a 33-year-old tribal widow of Koida block who allegedly put up her newborn, her sixth child - for sale is now on the run. If penury drove the woman to distress sell her child, fear of legal action has now sent her into hiding - for 46 straight days.
After getting information from different sources, Sundargarh child welfare committee (CWC) member BM Shukla has now written to Koida police to rescue the baby.
If sources are to be believed, the woman from Hatting village of Patmunda panchayat, about 120 km from Rourkela, delivered her sixth child at Rourkela Government Hospital (RGH) on August 30. After discharge from the hospital next day, she handed over the newborn baby boy to a family of Rourkela who helped her in time of difficulty. The woman reportedly received a part payment of Rs 25,000 for the baby. She once visited her house in Koida but was refused entry and then returned to Rourkela to stay with the same family.
ASHA worker of Hatting village Magdali Naik said the woman in question faced hostility from family members, especially her brother-in-law. She was initially admitted to Koida maternity waiting home (MWH) but was asked to leave once she exhausted the free stay option on August 20 as the delivery was delayed. With help of a family of Rourkela, she got admitted to RGH and delivered the baby on August 30.
Magdali said she managed to establish contact with the woman over phone on September 5 and learnt that she handed over the baby to the family since she had no place to stay and was unable to take care of the baby too. The ASHA worker said about selling the child, the woman made inconsistent claims about receiving the payment of Rs 25,000 from the family.
However, as the word spread and she started receiving inquiries, the woman got scared and made herself inaccessible, Magdali said and added that she last talked to her on Tuesday and when assured help, she agreed to meet her at Rourkela on Thursday.
Sources pointed out that woman lost her husband in 2022. Ever since she has been living with her four children aged between seven and 15 years, mother-in-law and a brother-in-law. One of her child had died earlier. Initially, she sold ‘handia’ to support the family but her last pregnancy complicated things and forced her to leave.
Meanwhile, Childline district coordinator Jitu Patel visited Hatting on Wednesday while Sundargarh district child protection officer Sribanta Jena said necessary support would be extended to her four other children in consultation with the CWC. He informed that efforts are on to trace the woman and rescue the new-born baby.
