OUR CORRESPONDENT
KOKRAJHAR: In a shocking incident, a poor father of Kachugaon in Kokrajhar district tried to sell his baby due to financial hardships which he faced in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the timely intervention of Kachugaon Police helped rescue the baby.
The chairman of Nedan Foundation, Digambar Narzary said that the COVID-19 pandemic had affected the lives of all sections of pepole, especially the daily wage earners, farmers and forest dwellers, who were struggling to feed their families due to lack of work and income. He said the situation has come to such a pretty pass that parents were forced sell their new born baby for money. Traffickers are actively working to reach out to poverty-stricken people in order to take away their children.
Narzary narrated the shocking story of S. Basumatary from Kachugaon block forest village. Her husband was a returnee migrant from Gujarat. He lost his job during the lockdown and returned home with an empty pocket. In his village he did not get any work and had no money to feed his wife, one-year girl child and four-month old baby. The husband then decided to sell his baby without discussing with his spouse.
Two wealthy women approached the husband and motivated him to give up his baby for adoption in Karbi Anglong district. Finally the deal was done to sell the baby for Rs 45,000. The mother, not able to bear the separation from her child, raised an alarm in the village and the villagers approached Kachugaon Police to recover the baby. Kachugaon Police arrested the baby's father. While questioning him, he narrated the incident and the baby was rescued from the house of a lady in Kokrajhar town. The baby was finally handed over to the mother and all persons involved in the incident were arrested. Nedan Foundation team thanked Kachugaon Police for timely action in rescuing the four-month-old baby.
Headlines: Financial hardship due to COVID-19 pandemic forces father to sell baby
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