A 20-day-old baby girl who was discovered buried alive in northern India’s Uttar Pradesh state is fighting for her life as doctors work around the clock to save her.
The baby was found by a shepherd grazing goats in Shahjahanpur district after he heard faint cries coming from under a mound of earth. When he approached, he saw a tiny hand sticking out of the soil and immediately raised the alarm. Villagers rushed to the spot and alerted police, who dug the child out and rushed her to the district medical college hospital.
Dr. Rajesh Kumar, principal of the hospital, said the baby was brought in covered in mud and gasping for breath. “She was in critical condition, showing signs of oxygen deprivation. She had insect and animal bite marks, and mud had gone into her mouth and nostrils,” he said. Doctors initially saw a slight improvement after 24 hours but say her condition has since deteriorated due to infection. “The prognosis is grave, but we are trying our best to save her,” Dr. Kumar added.
Police are still searching for the baby’s parents and have notified the state child helpline. The case has reignited outrage over India’s deep-rooted preference for sons, which campaigners say has led to widespread female foeticide and infanticide. Despite laws banning prenatal sex determination, millions of girls are still lost before or shortly after birth each year.
This is not the first such case — in 2019, another newborn girl was found buried alive in a clay pot in the same state but miraculously survived after weeks of treatment. Advocates say these cases highlight the urgent need for social change to combat gender discrimination and ensure every girl’s right to live.