Bengal teen gives birth in nursing home washroom, throws newborn out of window

The teenager had been admitted to the nursing home late on Friday night after complaining of severe abdominal pain. Police said she gave birth in the washroom without assistance on Saturday morning.

In Short

• Family members said they were unaware of the teenager's pregnancy
• Staff had reportedly questioned the family about a possible pregnancy
• A passer-by spotted the infant and immediately alerted the authorities

A 16-year-old girl allegedly threw her newborn baby out of a nursing home washroom window minutes after giving birth, leading to the infant's death in West Bengal's Hooghly district on Saturday, news agency PTI reported, citing police.

The teenager had been admitted to the nursing home late on Friday night after complaining of severe abdominal pain. Police said she gave birth in the washroom without assistance on Saturday morning.

"Initial investigation revealed that the girl went to the washroom on Saturday morning after complaining of intensifying abdominal pain. She delivered a baby there without anybody's assistance," a senior officer of Uttarpara police station told PTI.

The nursing home authorities claimed that the teenager then threw the newborn through the washroom window.

A passer-by found the baby lying in a pool of blood and alerted the authorities. A nurse rushed to the spot and took the baby inside but found her dead, the officer said.

The teenager's family members claimed that they were unaware of her pregnancy.

"The family members had brought her to the nursing home believing that she was suffering from nothing more than a bout of ordinary abdominal pain. We are verifying their claims," the officer said.

Nursing home owner Sucheta Mukherjee told reporters that the teenager was admitted late on Friday night and underwent a blood test on Saturday morning.

"As her abdominal pain intensified on Saturday morning, she walked to the toilet on her own. She delivered the baby there without any assistance. She threw the newborn out through the window," she said.

Mukherjee also claimed that the nursing home staff had repeatedly asked the girl's family members at the time of admission whether she could be pregnant, but they said they knew nothing about it.

"We had no clue that our daughter was pregnant. We brought her to the nursing home after she complained of severe abdominal pain last evening. This morning, we received a call from the hospital and came to know about the incident," the girl's mother told reporters.

Police have taken note of the incident and are examining all aspects of the case, the officer told PTI.

"We are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident and appropriate action will be taken based on the findings. We will examine the nursing home's CCTV footage and speak to the parents and other family members in this connection," he said.

A post-mortem examination of the newborn is likely to be conducted.

Meanwhile, local residents claimed that this was not the first such incident at the nursing home. "This is quite a frequent occurrence. A foetus had been recovered from the premises earlier as well," local resident Sankha Subhra Banerjee claimed.

- Ends
(With PTI inputs)