Guj: Pregnant woman delivers stillborn baby, kin blame cops

A 27-year-old woman from Gujarat's Banaskantha district delivered a stillborn baby due to delay in reaching hospital on Monday which her relatives alleged was caused by the police holding up her vehicle.

Police had stopped the vehicle as the driver was not wearing a face mask, they have claimed.

Banaskantha district police have launched an inquiry into the alleged incident following an intervention by the National Commission for Women (NCW).

NCW member Rajul Desai on Monday shot off an e-mail to Gujarat DGP Shivanand Jha and also discussed the issue with Subhash Trivedi, Inspector General of Police (Border range).

"After the NCW stepped in, Banaskantha police ordered an inquiry and assured to take strict action against guilty policemen," Desai told reporters on Tuesday.

Desai said the IGP told her over phone that an inquiry has been ordered into the incident.

"At 8 pm (on Monday), district SP (Tarun Duggal) called me and assured a fair probe," she said.

The SP told me that an inquiry has begun and police are trying to source CCTV footages, Desai said.

"While statements of relatives of the woman were taken, police would also record her statement on Tuesday," the NCW member said.

Relatives of the woman, Radha Rabari, said she would have delivered a healthy baby had the police understood the emergency.

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Radha Rabari delivered a stillborn baby through Cesarean operation at the government hospital in Dharpur in Patan district on early Monday.

Narating the incident, her relative Naran Rabari said the vehicle carrying her and others was stopped at a checkpoint near Ambaji town on Sunday night while on its way to a hospital in Patan.

"We were stopped by police personnel as the driver was not wearing a mask. He forgot to wear it in hurry. Despite our repeated requests, policemen wasted crucial time and asked the driver to pay a fine of Rs 200," said Naran Rabari.

"Though we told them that its a medical emergency and the woman is pregnant, policemen did not listen. We were taken to Ambaji police station and were dropped again at the checkpoint. Due to this delay, we reached Patan late where Radha delivered a stillbirth baby on Monday morning," he alleged.

Meanwhile, Gujarat State Commission for Women has also taken cognisance of the incident and has sought a report from the police, said its chairperson Leelaben Ankolia.

When contacted, IGP Trivedi confirmed that a probe has been ordered.

"We need to find out if policemen actually took the woman and others to the police station or only penalty was collected at the spot. Our aim is to find out whether police action was responsible for the miscarriage. We will take action against the guilty after completing the probe," he said. 

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