Gujarat: 2-month-old girl branded with hot iron rod to treat cough; quack held
Porbandar, Feb 12: A two-month-old baby girl was hospitalised after she was allegedly branded with a hot iron rod by a "self-styled doctor" to treat her for cough in Gujarat's Porbandar district, police said on Sunday.
The quack was arrested on Sunday and an FIR was registered against him and the child's mother, Deputy Superintendent of Police Surjeet Mahedu said.
The baby has been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a government hospital. She is under observation and her condition is reported to be stable, he said.
"The baby suffered from cough and phlegm a week ago and her parents tried a local cure at home, but she did not get relief. Thereafter, the child's mother took her to one Devrajbhai Katara," Mahedu said.
Katara allegedly branded the baby with a hot iron rod on her chest and stomach. When she did not get relief, the parents took the child to Bhavsinhji General Hospital in Porbandar and the matter came to light, he said.
Based on a complaint by the infant's father, an FIR was registered against Katara and the baby's mother under Indian Penal Code Section 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by means of any instrument likely to cause death) and other provisions, the official said.
The condition of the baby, who was admitted in the ICU of the hospital in Porbandar, was stable, he said.
Dr Jai Badiyani from the general hospital told mediapersons that the baby was brought to the medical facility on February 9 with breathing complications.
"She was put on oxygen support in the ICU. During the treatment we found that she was branded on chest...This increased her complications," he said.
Earlier this month, a two-and-a-half-month-old girl died in Madhya Pradesh's Shahdol district after allegedly being branded with a hot iron rod more than 50 times by an exorcist, police had said.
Another case where a 3-month-old girl was branded with a hot iron rod had also came to light in Shahdol, they said.
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Mamata Banerjee writes to PM again, seeks stringent central legislation in rape and murder cases
Kolkata, Aug 30: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reiterating her request for stringent central legislation and exemplary punishment on heinous crimes like rape and murder.
Banerjee, who wrote to Modi a few days ago on the issue following nationwide uproar over the rape and murder of a doctor at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9, sought mandatory provision for time-bound disposal of cases of rape/rape and murder.
Banerjee had on Wednesday said an amendment to existing laws will be passed in the state assembly next week to ensure capital punishment to convicted rapists.
Stating that she is yet to receive a reply from the PM on the issue flagged by her, Banerjee wrote that she has, however, received a communication from the Union Women and Child Development minister.
Maintaining that the letter by the WCD minister "barely attends the gravity of the issue" raised by her, Banerjee wrote, "The seriousness of the subject and its relevance to the society have not been adequately appreciated while sending out this generic reply."
The CM wrote that 10 exclusive POCSO (Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences Act) courts have been approved by the state government.
She further mentioned that 88 fast-track special courts and 62 POCSO-designated courts are already functioning in West Bengal on state funding.
Banerjee wrote that helpline numbers 112 and 1098 are functioning in the state and additionally, Dial-100 is extensively used in emergency situations.
WCD Minister Annapurna Devi had on Wednesday said the situation of women in West Bengal has been "deteriorating" and slammed the Mamata Banerjee government for failing to implement central schemes such as fast-track courts and emergency helplines to deal with crimes against women.
Devi claimed that the fast-track special courts (FTSCs), which were allocated to West Bengal, are yet to become operational in the state.
The WCD minister also said that the state "failed" to implement key emergency helplines -- the Women Helpline (WHL), Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) and Child Helpline.
