DNA
18 April 2009
Mumbai, India

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has come out strongly against the allegation made by fruit vendor Mohammed Sartaj that his newborn boy was swapped for a girl at the civic body–run Oshiwara Maternity Home. While the police is preparing to take the couple for a DNA test, Sartaj has claimed that the hospital is coaxing them to take the girl child home. BMC’s executive health officer Dr Jairaj Thanekar denied any foul play. “Our preliminary inquiry report says that Reshma Bano delivered a girl child. Doctors prepare operation notes soon after delivery, and even that mentions the baby to be a girl,” he said.

Thanekar said that the hospital is quite small, and hence the chances of baby–swapping were almost nil. “Such an incident has never happened at this hospital before,” he said, adding that on Wednesday evening Bano was the only patient delivering. “A total of 11 deliveries took place that day through Cesarean section, of which seven were male and four were female children,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sartaj claimed: “Senior doctors are forcing me to take the baby girl home. I will not accept the baby unless the DNA test proves she is my daughter. I will move court if they keep forcing me,” he said. He said that Bano has been asked to feed the baby girl every two hours.

The Oshiwara police are yet to lodge a formal complaint. The mother and the baby girl will be sent for DNA tests on Friday. The matter will be clear once we get the reports,” said investigating officer Vaibhav Patil, adding that a case will be registered if the DNA reports do not match.