...continued from previous post(click), where I had provided links, wherein two news agencies, viz., PTI and IANS (former published by DNA and the latter by many publications, including The Times of India) had reported the SAME incident, with conflicting versions.
Also, considering the circumstances, and being a doctor, many elements of the reports did not make any sense to me.
Let us first establish the motive behind the two doctors' act. It can only be earning easy money. Other very slim possibilities are: (1) both doctors suffering from psychiatric disorders, driving them to cruelty; (2) their trying to chastise the girl; or (3) the rapist was their kith or kin.
(1) is unlikely, otherwise they would not be still practicing, that too with a staff!
(2) is unlikely because then the girl's family would have interfered.
(3) is unlikely because otherwise the police would have 'discovered' and mentioned that fact.
So assuming earning money was their motive, someone must have PAID them. Who was that 'somebody'? It had to be either girl's relatives or the rapist. So, why were any of the two not incriminated after TWO days of 'investigation'? Whoever paid the money becomes, if not as much, at least significantly guilty of the crime committed.
The IANS report mentions the rapist's name simply as 'Raju', which is very strange (and not to mention sounds too generic), since if the two doctors' complete names were reported, then, the person who (possibly) paid the doctors and also raped the girl in the first place, also definitely deserves to have his complete official name mentioned. One more surprising fact is that the PTI report, which came a complete day later does not mention this significant fact!!!
Now coming to the MODE of killing: The doctors knew that they were committing a risky crime. Then why would they allow the baby to survive for 3 days? It is very easy to kill a newborn. Moreover, IANS mentions that the doctor had asked her driver to dispose the baby off in a septic tank 40 km away. Why?
If they let the baby live for 3 days despite risking suspicion of their staff and patients, then they were definitely daredevil risk takers! In that case, why would they ask their driver to go 40 km away, ONLY to dump a dead baby? As it is she was running a nursing home, and newborns dying in there would not be really extraordinary! So they could have simply disposed the baby by same method they employ for other dead babies.
Or if they asked the driver to dispose the baby 40 km away to avoid inviting suspicion, then their keeping the baby alive for 3 days makes no sense! As I mentioned earlier, killing a newborn is no big deal!
So basically, the two facts that the doctors starved the baby and asked the driver to dump it at a faraway nursing home are not at all logically compatible with each other. Significantly, only IANS mentions these two mutually conflicting facts. PTI report (despite coming a day later) makes no mention of starving the baby, and it clearly states that it was dumped in the biogas plant of the SAME hospital where it was delivered.
One of the commentators on the ToI web site has pointed out, that as reported, if it was an "alert citizen" witnessing the driver dump the baby, that led to the discovery of the whole occurrence, then where was the question of the driver's absconding?!! The PTI on the other hand clearly states that it was the girl who had lodged the complaint.
One important medical issue here is - how likely is a premature baby to survive 3 days without support and food?
Even term (mature - born at 40 weeks) babies without milk and water are unlikely to survive for 3 days. A premature baby has very little stored form of glucose (glycogen) in the liver. In addition, their lungs are not developed to inflate properly. So (28 weeks' gestation) premature babies without aggressive medical support are highly unlikely to survive.
Plus the sensationalist police statement, "It (baby) was not even shown to the young mother..." has no legal relevance! Why mention it despite skipping other details?
Where were the girl/family for SEVEN months?
Most appalling are the 45 passionately ranting readers, mostly who had missed all these glitches! What is the quality of reporting and readership?
Also, considering the circumstances, and being a doctor, many elements of the reports did not make any sense to me.
Let us first establish the motive behind the two doctors' act. It can only be earning easy money. Other very slim possibilities are: (1) both doctors suffering from psychiatric disorders, driving them to cruelty; (2) their trying to chastise the girl; or (3) the rapist was their kith or kin.
(1) is unlikely, otherwise they would not be still practicing, that too with a staff!
(2) is unlikely because then the girl's family would have interfered.
(3) is unlikely because otherwise the police would have 'discovered' and mentioned that fact.
So assuming earning money was their motive, someone must have PAID them. Who was that 'somebody'? It had to be either girl's relatives or the rapist. So, why were any of the two not incriminated after TWO days of 'investigation'? Whoever paid the money becomes, if not as much, at least significantly guilty of the crime committed.
The IANS report mentions the rapist's name simply as 'Raju', which is very strange (and not to mention sounds too generic), since if the two doctors' complete names were reported, then, the person who (possibly) paid the doctors and also raped the girl in the first place, also definitely deserves to have his complete official name mentioned. One more surprising fact is that the PTI report, which came a complete day later does not mention this significant fact!!!
Now coming to the MODE of killing: The doctors knew that they were committing a risky crime. Then why would they allow the baby to survive for 3 days? It is very easy to kill a newborn. Moreover, IANS mentions that the doctor had asked her driver to dispose the baby off in a septic tank 40 km away. Why?
If they let the baby live for 3 days despite risking suspicion of their staff and patients, then they were definitely daredevil risk takers! In that case, why would they ask their driver to go 40 km away, ONLY to dump a dead baby? As it is she was running a nursing home, and newborns dying in there would not be really extraordinary! So they could have simply disposed the baby by same method they employ for other dead babies.
Or if they asked the driver to dispose the baby 40 km away to avoid inviting suspicion, then their keeping the baby alive for 3 days makes no sense! As I mentioned earlier, killing a newborn is no big deal!
So basically, the two facts that the doctors starved the baby and asked the driver to dump it at a faraway nursing home are not at all logically compatible with each other. Significantly, only IANS mentions these two mutually conflicting facts. PTI report (despite coming a day later) makes no mention of starving the baby, and it clearly states that it was dumped in the biogas plant of the SAME hospital where it was delivered.
One of the commentators on the ToI web site has pointed out, that as reported, if it was an "alert citizen" witnessing the driver dump the baby, that led to the discovery of the whole occurrence, then where was the question of the driver's absconding?!! The PTI on the other hand clearly states that it was the girl who had lodged the complaint.
One important medical issue here is - how likely is a premature baby to survive 3 days without support and food?
Even term (mature - born at 40 weeks) babies without milk and water are unlikely to survive for 3 days. A premature baby has very little stored form of glucose (glycogen) in the liver. In addition, their lungs are not developed to inflate properly. So (28 weeks' gestation) premature babies without aggressive medical support are highly unlikely to survive.
Plus the sensationalist police statement, "It (baby) was not even shown to the young mother..." has no legal relevance! Why mention it despite skipping other details?
Where were the girl/family for SEVEN months?
Most appalling are the 45 passionately ranting readers, mostly who had missed all these glitches! What is the quality of reporting and readership?
Ketan,
ReplyDeleteI now understood the entire post! My bad! Sorry for that.
Anyway, it's sad that such things occur ever so often in India. I am apathetic toward such incidents. In fact I feel good that the baby didn't live. The reason being, had that baby survived, it would have faced similar crap when it grows up. The baby would live a meaningless life. Of what use is that to anyone? In your own investigation, you've come up with so many glaring disparities. You should perhaps apply for a cop's job!! I mean your jurisdiction would be spic and span with no crimes whatsoever! Not that you're not a good enough doc, I mean that would a crime in itself to say that! But still.
I had saved up similar appalling stories over several weeks on my laptop but unfortunately my laptop crashed and I lost all data! :( And I can't remember the exact dates either. Anyway most of them were similar stories.
I would like to look at the larger picture here.
I want to avoid delving deeper into all the glitches that you've pointed. Instead I want to see the bigger picture. It's so sad this happens in India. And there is not enough being done to prevent such crimes.
I feel Darwin's theory is going to be in vogue on a very large scale in some years' time. A large chunk of India's population isn't going to survive a few generations down the line. We over breed and put so much strain on our natural resources. There has to be an end to it. And we see examples during floods and natural calamities. Nature has a way of getting back at us. The recent floods down south was a classic example. The rivers were clogged and there no way out for the water to flow. Hundreds died. It was nothing but a man-made calamity. Floods in Mumbai is another example. The sewers are not managed properly. Drains overflow and inundate homes.
Nature will one day put an end to all this. Population is our biggest problem. I feel no sympathy toward poor people who die of hunger and diseases. I feel it's better they don't survive at all than live a meaningless life or live a life with rarely having a square meal.
Ok I understand I've been downright senseless in my opinion[s]! I would like to assert the fact that I'm just apathetic! I may have overreacted somehow!
ReplyDeleteVishwas,
ReplyDeleteI totally understand your sentiments.
In fact, I myself feel population is our biggest problem.
More than natural events, it's going to be man-made events that will lead to large-scale deaths. Plus, not to forget, as urbanization progresses, people would be producing fewer children.
The problem with declaring that the poor don't deserve to live (the way they are currently living) is - nobody asked them if they would like to be born poor! Just like no one really asked you, if you would like to be born in a well off family or if you would like to be born to legally married parents!!
They have been plain unlucky, and though I continue to live on my hypocritical, apathetic life without trying to do anything for their benefit, I'm always aware of this guilt in some corner of my mind that fundamentally there is NOTHING that made me deserve one of the best education country had to offer v/s shining shoes of random strangers from the age of 10, being born to poor parents! In relation to them, whatever I'm having today is totally UNDESERVED. And that fact can never change, however much I get ahead of competition or earn 'on my own'.
But I hardly write about these things. Probably, I don't want to face that guilt in entirety.
Anyway, I too got way off mark! :)
Hope, my comment made you realize, you're lucky and there's a lot in life you can value. And every moment that passes by with your being unhappy, you're doing injustice to all that that life has given you. :)
TC.
Ketan ji you must have overheard many a times, My uncle, brother, friend etc is a journalist. Conflicting reports of same incident happens either for money,favors or Bhai-bhatijawaad. In addition,it reminds me of a quote written behind a match-box-"Two different accounts of same incident makes me about wonder about History". You have raised some valid questions and a message that don't trust just anything whatever is put forth,blindly. I am going with this message in my mind and yes its a good read.
ReplyDeleteAkhtar Hussain