An Indian couple got arrested for trying to burry their baby girl alive. Click below to find out how old the child was, and other information.
The mother of the month-and-a-half-old girl told police that a guru had advised them to bury her, as this would protect their other children from serious illnesses and ensure their health, broadcaster NDTV reported.
The couple claimed to have lost a child to an incurable illness last year, the report said.
The incident came to light on Wednesday in Pilakhuwa town, 100 kilometres south-west of New Delhi, after a trustee of the burial ground heard the cries of the baby and alerted police. Locals and police were able to stop the couple from burying the baby.
Police have registered a case of attempted murder and conspiracy, but have not been able to trace the guru.
There is systematic discrimination against female children in India — a country which has among the highest female infant mortality rates in the world.
According to the 2011 census, the child sex ratio was 914 girls for every 1,000 boys, the worst since the country’s independence in 1947. The global discrepancy at birth is about 950 girls for every 1,000 boys.
At the root of the age-old preference for sons is the perception that girls are an economic burden and require huge dowries, while sons are the breadwinners who will look after their parents in old age.
