BELAGAVI: The seven fetuses found dumped in a dried-up stream on Friday were all male fetuses, forensic tests have shown, reports Ravindra Uppar.
While this rules out the case in Mudalagi town as that of female foeticide, it has raised questions about the right way to dispose of fetuses. "This is not a case of female foeticide. According to the forensic science laboratory (FSL) report, all fetuses were male and they were abnormal. The fetuses were stored in plastic boxes using formalin. An investigation will be done because storing fetuses in this way is illegal," deputy commissioner Nitesh Patil said.
The fetuses were from Venkatesh Maternity Hospital and Scanning Centre in Mudalagi. The hospital, raided and seized by authorities, said the fetuses were dumped in the stream by mistake by the cleaning employees when the hospital building was being shifted.
Fetuses sent to Belagavi district hospital to detect age
Dr Veena Kanakreddy, who owns the hospital, said the aborted fetuses had been stored to show them to patients but they were possibly discarded while shifting the hospital. "We don't know how the fetuses went outside," she said.
District health officer Dr Mahesh Koni said the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) would file a case under the Medical Waste Management Act, 2017, for the illegal disposal of fetuses.
The case also attracts the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act for not maintaining a record of the fetuses since 2013. "The hospital says the aborted fetuses were brought from Mahalingapur but they haven't maintained any documents. We are trying to find out if a hospital can store fetuses in such a way for a long time," the DHO said.
The fetuses have been taken to the Belagavi district hospital to detect their age.
Facility vacated
The health department has vacated the Venkatesh Maternity Hospital and Scanning Centre of all patients and employees.
