After the slain baby Falak, now a
3-month-old Afreen, battered allegedly by her father, is battling for
her life in a Bangalore hospital. The 3-month-old was badly thrashed
by her father Umar Farooq, 37, now behind the bars, because he wanted
a baby boy.
The incident took place April 5 after
which Afreen was admitted to Vani Vilas Government Hospital with
severe internal injuries in the head. Farooq, who went absconding
after murderously assaulting the infant, was held on Sunday
Doctors treating the baby say her
condition is still critical and she is being observed round the
clock.
Farooq had been abusing Reshma, mother
of the ailing baby, ever since she gave birth to the baby girl as he
wanted a boy. The couple got married in 2010. Farooq had assaulted
the child twice in the past but Reshma did not make an issue of it
because she wanted to save the marriage but last Thursday when Reshma
retired to the bed, Farooq stuffed clothes into the baby's mouth to
conceal her cries and hit her with a blunt object. Reshma, who woke
up in the middle of the night, saw the baby suffering from
convulsions. She informed her husband, who appeared uninterested.
When the baby vomited blood, Farooq fled. With the help of her
neighbours, Reshma hospitalised Afreen.
"I think it is high time India
woke up to this. A baby girl cannot be treated like this," said
Meena Jain, chairperson, Child Welfare Committee, Bangalore after
visiting the baby.
This is not just an incident but also
an alarm of the insensitivity of our society. We can only hope that
the destiny of Afreen is not same as that of baby Falak.
