Doctor held for carrying out illegal abortion of female foetus

Yamunanagar (Har), May 15: A doctor who runs a hospital was arrested for allegedly aborting a female foetus illegally in Jagadhri area of this district. The ultrasound centre where the scan was carried out a month back that revealed the status of the unborn child as that of a female was also sealed after the authorities carried out a late night raid at the two premises on May 14.

The shocking incident, which is not an isolated case in Haryana infamous for its adverse sex-ratio and Yamunanagar being one of the districts with poor male-female ratio, took place in the area of New Saraswati Colony, Jagadhri.

The lady doctor Priyanka Thakur, who claims to be holding a Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine (BAMS) degree, was arrested under the provisions of the PNDT Act after the incident came to light last night when the foetus was aborted.

She was produced before the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate at Jagadhri on May 15. The court sent her to 14-day judicial remand. The Ultrasound Centre, located at Ambala Road in Jagadhri, from where the scan was done has been also sealed, SHO, Jagadhri, Rajiv Miglani said.

The licence to run the ultrasound centre of Nidhi Gupta was cancelled with immediate effect. A woman had performed a ultrasound scan at the Centre which revealed the sex of her unborn child, Miglani said.

On the basis of a secret report received by the Civil Surgeon, Jagadhri and the Secretary Red Cross Society, Yamunanagar, a team of doctors was constituted for the raid led by Deputy Civil Surgeon, Dr Neeraj Bassi.

The team raided the site at New Saraswati Colony, Jagadhri where an un-registered clinic 'Mastan Clinic' was situated. The team found a woman there whose abortion had been carried out illegally and also found doctor Priyanka Thakur there.

The team also recovered the equipment used for the abortion. Police said the woman whose abortion was done was not in a position to give a statement immediately.

PTI