Four-day-old infant of 11-year-old gang rape survivor may not live as doctors not able to conduct surgery

Four-day-old infant of 11-year-old Rajkot gang-rape survivor may not live long since the doctors are not able to conduct surgery on the infant, said the committee of the doctors that were formed to treat the baby.

“We ran detailed tests on her and have decided that a surgery will make matters more difficult for her. The scans reveal that not just the spine, but the damage has gone till the brain as well. The entire anatomy is disturbed and because of the complexity of the case, a surgery is not advised,” Dr Rakesh Joshi, who heads the Department of Pediatric Surgery at Civil Hospital in Asarwa, quoted by India Express as saying.

The baby’s mother who is 11-year-old, was reportedly gang-raped by six people in the last eight to ninth month. According to the police, five of the six accused – Manji Javiya (67), Aravind Kubavat (52), Vijanand Maiyad (47), Vipul Chavda (40) and Govind Sakariya (60) – were in judicial custody whereas the sixth accused, a 17-year-old, is a juvenile. The baby was born on 17 March at the civil hospital in Rajkot. It was shifted from Rajkot to Ahmadabad due to congenital defect called spina bifida; a condition in which the spine and spinal cord fail to develop properly causing paralysis.

On being asked how long the baby can live, the doctor said “Not long, but we cannot say. The skin covering the spine is thin and it can open up anytime, thus exposing her to various infections. She will need care and her spine will need dressing but it may not protect her for long”.

The baby is under the care of two young constables –Sona Ranji and Sejal Parmar. 23-year-old Sona Ranjit said “We don’t know how to react. We understand what the doctors say but are feeling bad that the child will not live long. We have been given instructions to bring her back to Rajkot. I guess the authorities will decide what to do with the infant and where to keep her.”