Odisha government orders probe into allegation of child sale in Balangir district

Though the parents claim to have gifted their newborn baby girl, allegations of child sale out of poverty have surfaced in Khaprakhol block, a backward region

The Odisha government on Tuesday (November 19, 2024) ordered an inquiry into “child gifting” by impoverished parents in Balangir district, where the parents expressed their financial incapacity to take care of their newborn.

Though the parents claimed to have ‘gifted’ their newborn baby girl, allegations of child sale surfaced in San Guduchibhata village under Khaprakhol block, a backward area that witnesses hundreds of families migrating annually to brick kilns in other States.

Khaprakhol falls under the Assembly constituency of Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, who visited the village to meet the parents and gather firsthand information. He subsequently directed the Balangir district administration to conduct a thorough investigation and submit a detailed report.

Aruna Bati Nag gave birth to a baby girl at the local primary health centre on November 2. The next day when health workers had gone to Ms. Bag’s home for immunisation assignment, they found the newborn mysteriously vanished, sparking suspicions of a premeditated handover to an unidentified recipient.

After the incident came to light, the district administration swung into action and multiple probes at the level of police, District Child Welfare Committee and District Child Protection Officer were launched.

“After giving birth to a girl, I shared my financial struggles with the Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA), whose responsibility is to ensure safe deliveries within her jurisdiction. ASHA madam informed the Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM), who handles primary medical care, vaccinations, and childbirth assistance. The ANM then contacted a prospective recipient, and we gave the baby away,” the mother alleged during a visit by Odisha’s Deputy Chief Minister to her home.

However, ANM Mamata Bhoi refuted the claim, stating, “I have no information about what the parents did with their newborn. My role ended with the delivery.”

“When I spoke to the woman, she mentioned that she had six children, couldn’t afford to raise them all, and decided to give one away,” Mr. Singh Deo told reporters after meeting the family.

The newborn has been traced, but not rescued. A team of Odisha Police has been deployed in an upscale pediatric hospital in Raipur, capital of Chhattisgarh.

“Since the newborn is unwell and under treatment. We have not initiated the process of rescue,” said S. Latashree, member of Balangir District Child Welfare Committee, a quasi judiciary body.

Sharing her insights from interaction with the parents, Ms Latashree said, “both the husband and wife were unwilling to disclose the identity of the person who received their baby. They attempted to mislead us, claiming they had given the baby to an acquaintance they met in Hyderabad while working at a brick kiln. Although their account of handing over the child seems suspicious, we currently lack conclusive evidence to confirm it as a case of child sale,” she said.

The CWC’s investigation revealed that the Bag family is extremely poor and lacks the resources to adequately care for their children.  

Since the Bag couple’s relatives are not financially well-off, the admission of their child in an expensive health facility in Raipur raised suspicions of a shady ‘handover’ of the newborn.