Legs broken, liver ruptured: Autopsy of Rajasthan baby decapitated during delivery

The baby, whose body broke into two parts, had its legs fractured and liver ruptured as the two untrained male staff at a government community health centre in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer district attempted to deliver him, an autopsy has revealed.

Amritlal and Junjhar Singh of the health centre in Ramgarh, who the boy’s father has alleged were drunk at the time of the delivery on January 6, are yet to be arrested. They have been suspended and the officer in charge of the health centre Dr Nikhil Sharma has been removed from active duty.

Also read: Unborn baby decapitated in botched-up delivery

Dr Surendra Duggar, who conducted the postmortem examination at Jawahar Government Hospital in Jaisalmer on Friday, said while speaking to the Hindustan Times that he got the body in three pieces: head, torso and placenta.

“In order to bring the baby out, the nursing staff applied so much force that it not only broke into two parts but also caused multiple fractures in legs and liver got burst. We also have carried out a floating test of lungs which revealed that the baby was dead,” he said.

However, Dr Duggar said he was not able to ascertain the cause of death. “It could be due to the pull by nursing staff with much force or any other reason which can be ascertained with the sonography report before the delivery, he said.”

Dr Duggar said he has handed over the autopsy report to the police.

The two men even deposited the lower part of the foetus in the hospital’s mortuary and asked the family of the woman to take her to Jaisalmer. The mother, identified as Dikhsha Kanwar, was taken to Jawahar Government Hospital, and the health centre staff informed the doctors there that they had finished the delivery but left the placenta in the womb.

Dr Ravindra Sankhla, a gynaecologist at Jawahar Government Hospital, said he realised something was wrong while attempting to take out the placenta. He said after stabilising the mother, they “referred her to Ummed Hospital in Jodhpur”. Kanwar is fighting for her life.

Dr Usha Duggad, the principal medical officer at Jawahar Government Hospital, said it was a rarest of the rare case she has come across for the first time in her career of 30 years.

“It is quite unusual that nursing staff had applied so much force that baby broke into two parts and got multiple fractures. They should have avoided using force when the baby was stuck in the womb,” the senior gynaecologist said, adding they should have sent the mother to a hospital better equipped to deal with such a case.

According to chief medical and health officer in Jaisalmer Dr BL Bunkar, Amritlal and Junjhar Singh who conducted the delivery were not trained birth attendants. According to the government norms, only skilled birth attendant can conduct deliveries.

“A skilled birth attendant and a doctor were available at the Ramgarh hospital but they did not inform them and conducted the delivery on their own,” Dr Bunkar said.

Dr Bunkar said state health minister Raghu Sharma had sought the detailed report of the incident after which joint director reached Jaisalmer and started an investigation into the matter.

Minister Sharma said a committee has been constituted to probe the death of the baby.

“Strict action will be taken against anyone found responsible. It is a serious incident. The government has zero tolerance policy for such kind of irresponsibility, and it will not be tolerated in any circumstances,” he said in a statement.

The boy’s family refused to bury him on Friday as they called for the arrest of the two staff. They were later assured by the administration of quick action against those guilty.