Pregnant tribal woman dies on makeshift stretcher in Gujarat, Sparking outcry over road access
Chhota Udepur: In a heartbreaking incident on Tuesday, a pregnant woman from the remote tribal village of Turkheda in Gujarat’s Chhota Udepur district died after giving birth while being carried on a cloth stretcher to reach medical help. Kavita Bhil, who was in labor, died while giving birth to a girl, highlighting the urgent need for road connectivity in the area as the locals battled to get her to a medical institution.
At around 5 a.m., Kavita began experiencing labor contractions. Her husband, Kishan Bhil, along with neighbors from the village of Baskariya Faliya, immediately sprang into action, placing her on a cloth stretcher to carry her over five kilometers of rocky terrain to a pick-up point where an ambulance could arrive. However, only a kilometer into the journey, Kavita went into labor and gave birth. Tragically, she did not survive the delivery. Her body was carried back to the village on the same makeshift stretcher for the final rites. Kishan, a farmer, is now left to care for their newborn daughter and two other children under the age of five. A relative of the family revealed that the newborn is also in critical condition.
The incident has sparked anger and mourning in the village, which lies on the banks of the Narmada River. Villagers say the lack of proper road access has been an ongoing issue, with multiple appeals to the government going unanswered. Jamsinh Rathwa, a relative of Kishan, expressed the community’s frustration with the government’s inaction over the lack of infrastructure. "For years, we have been pleading for a road to access basic health services, but nothing has changed. We are forgotten. If the road had been built, Kavita would still be with us," he lamented.
This tragic event is not an isolated case, as villagers claim that several women have faced similar fates in recent years due to the lack of proper roads. Nagin Rathwa, a local resident, explained that a tender to construct a seven-kilometer road had been issued five years ago, but only three kilometers were completed. He added that, in the absence of the road, villagers are forced to carry patients on cloth stretchers, making it too late during emergencies.
BJP MP Jashu Rathwa acknowledged the tragedy but cited the difficult terrain as a reason for the delay in road construction. “It’s a tragic incident, and we are deeply pained. However, in such remote areas, walking a few kilometers is common. The BJP government is committed to building roads in every corner, but the terrain in this region is challenging. The tender for the road has been issued and will be completed soon,” he said.
SD Goklani, the In-charge District Development Officer of Chhota Udepur, confirmed that a proposal to build the remaining four kilometers of the road has been received, with an estimated cost of ₹11 crore. Goklani mentioned that they had been informed about the tragic death of the woman and that a road proposal was already in place, with construction expected to commence soon.
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Jharkhand horror: Man kills live-in partner, chops body into 40 pieces
Ranchi (PTI): A 25-year-old man, who works as a butcher, allegedly strangled to death his live-in partner and chopped her body into 40 to 50 pieces in a forested area in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Naresh Bhengra, was arrested.
The matter came to light after around a fortnight after the killing when a stray dog was found with human body parts near Jordag village in Jariagarh police station on November 24.
Bhengra was in a live-in relationship with the deceased, a 24-year-old woman also from Khunti district, in Tamil Nadu for the past couple of years. Sometime back, he returned to Jharkhand, got married to another woman without telling his partner anything and went back to the southern state without his wife to join her.
"The brutal incident occurred on November 8 when they reached Khunti as the accused who had married another woman did not wish to take her home. Instead, he took her to a forest near his house at Jordag village in Jariagarh police station and chopped the body into pieces. The man has been arrested," Khunti Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar told PTI.
Inspector Ashok Singh who investigated the case said the man worked in a butcher shop in Tamil Nadu and was expert in slicing chicken.
“He admitted chopping the body parts of the woman into 40 to 50 pieces before leaving those in the forest for wild animals to feast on. The police recovered several parts on November 24 after a dog in the area was seen with a hand," Singh told PTI.
Singh said that the woman, who was unaware of his marriage, pressured him to return to Khunti. After reaching Ranchi, they boarded a train on November 24 and headed to the man's village.
"Under a plan, the man took her to Khunti in an autorickshaw near his home and asked her to wait. He returned with sharp weapons and strangulated her with her dupatta after raping her. He then cut the body into 40 to 50 pieces and left for his home to live with his wife," Singh said.
The woman, however, had informed her mother that she had boarded a train and would be living with her partner, the police officer said.
Following the recovery of body parts, a bag was also found in the forest with the murdered woman's belongings including her Aadhaar card. The mother of the woman was called at the spot and she identified her daughter's belongings.
"The mother suspected the man behind the crime who after being nabbed by the police admitted to chopping the woman into pieces," the official added.
The incident has sent shockwaves among people in the region, with the Shraddha Walker murder case of 2022 still fresh in their memory.
Walker was killed by her live-in partner who chopped her body into pieces before dumping them in the jungle in South Delhi’s Mehrauli.
