Infanticide suspected in Shanivarsanthe tribal hamlet

The body of a two-month-old baby was exhumed in a tribal hamlet and sent for a postmortem on the directions of Somwarpet police Thursday.

According to a complaint from an anganwadi volunteer, a minor girl had an illicit relationship with a labourer residing in the same tribal
colony.

The minor girl, who was on her way to the community health centre in Shanivarasanthe, however, delivered a baby girl en route on July 28.

She was later shifted to the district hospital in Madikeri for further treatment.

The minor girl had been discharged and had returned to the hamlet with a
baby girl.

The anganwadi volunteer, who had visited the hamlet to monitor the health of the baby girl, was informed about the death of the infant.

The volunteer, who grew suspicious over the circumstances surrounding the death of the baby, complained to Somwarpet Inspector Nanjundegowda.

On the directions of Nanjunde Gowda and Tahasildar Mahesh, the baby’s body, buried in a four-foot pit, was exhumed and sent to Kushalnagar government hospital for a detailed postmortem.

The postmortem report will shed light on the reasons behind the baby’s mysterious death, it is said.