A 15-day-old baby girl survived after a shepherd discovered her buried alive in Godapur village, Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Local police and healthcare workers said prompt rescue and medical intervention have kept her alive despite serious injuries.
The infant, about 15 days old, was found buried about a foot deep beneath wet soil near the Bahgul River Bridge; one of her hands protruded from the ground and showed bleeding and ant bites. Villagers who heard faint cries alerted police, who recovered the child and arranged immediate medical care.
Police first took her to a local health centre and then she was referred to a medical college hospital, where doctors admitted her to neonatal care and the ICU. Medical staff reported ant bites and soil exposure-related injuries; clinicians placed the infant under close monitoring and began supportive measures including warmth, fluids, wound cleansing, and infection prevention.
At the medical college, clinicians assigned a pediatric team to manage the infant’s care. Her condition remains serious at the time of reporting; clinicians continued monitoring vital signs and provided symptomatic and supportive care.
Local police opened an investigation to identify who abandoned or buried the infant. They are reviewing CCTV footage and collecting witness statements while working to locate the child’s parents or guardians. Officials described the act as attempted abandonment and are pursuing appropriate legal steps.
Cases of newborn abandonment and infanticide occur against a broader background of gender bias in some parts of India. Historically, female infanticide and sex-selective abortion contributed to skewed child sex ratios (fewer girls than boys) in several states. Analyses of national data indicate sex-selective abortions increased from the 1990s into the early 2000s and contributed substantially to missing girls in the population. 1
A Lancet analysis of nationally representative birth histories and census data found evidence of widespread prenatal sex selection in parts of India during 1990–2011, with patterns varying by region and socioeconomic group. 2
Recent state actions, such as intensified enforcement of the PCPNDT Act (Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act, 1994), report short-term improvements in sex ratio indicators in targeted areas. 4
Beyond prenatal selection, documented instances of female infanticide historically occurred in specific communities and periods, though contemporary evidence suggests that modern technology-enabled prenatal sex selection and differential care after birth (leading to excess female infant mortality) are now major drivers in many regions.5
Cases of infant abandonment and violence carry immediate clinical risks: wound infection, hypothermia, dehydration, and sepsis, and require urgent medical care and social support. They also highlight the need for strengthened community awareness, accessible perinatal services, and social programs for vulnerable mothers and newborns.
Health systems and child protection services must coordinate to ensure medical stabilization, social assessment, and safe placement for abandoned children while investigations proceed.
M. Sahni, “Missing Girls in India: Infanticide, Feticide and Made-to-Order Pregnancies? Insights from Hospital-Based Sex-Ratio-at-Birth,” Indian J Med Ethics (2008). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2377330/.
Prabhat Jha et al., “Trends in selective abortions of girls in India: analysis of nationally representative birth histories from 1990 to 2005 and census data from 1991 to 2011,” The Lancet 377 (2011):1921–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60649-1.
C. Meh et al., “Trends in female-selective abortion among Asian populations,” BMJ Global Health (2022). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9514843/.
S. Seth, “Sex selective feticide in India,” International Journal (2007). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3455058/.
UNICEF India, “Key data,” UNICEF India. https://www.unicef.org/india/key-data.
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