woman-dies-in-illegal-abortion-parents-held

 Karnataka Police have arrested the parents of a pregnant woman who succumbed during an illegal abortion procedure, as confirmed by officials on Saturday.

 

The incident, originating from Mahalingpur town, situated in Karnataka's Bagalkot district, has stirred controversy as the parents stand accused of allegedly persuading their daughter to undergo female foeticide.

 

Identified as Sanjay Gowli and Sangeetha Gowli, the arrested parents allegedly played a role in encouraging their 33-year-old daughter, Sonali, a resident of Sangli in Maharashtra, to opt for the illicit abortion.

 

Sonali, already a mother of two daughters, reportedly sought the procedure upon discovering that the foetus was female. Tragically, she passed away on May 27 after the abortion was carried out at a residence in Mahalingpur.

 

Further investigations revealed that Sonali had initially undergone a gender confirmation scan in Maharashtra and subsequently paid a significant sum of Rs 40,000 to a nurse named Kavitha Baddannavar to perform the abortion.

 

Following Sonali's demise, Maharashtra Police from Sangli intervened and arrested seven individuals, including the prime suspect, nurse Kavitha Baddannavar. Interestingly, preliminary inquiries uncovered a prior case against Kavitha in 2022, raising concerns about her alleged involvement in an illicit abortion racket.

 

Kavitha, previously employed as housekeeping staff at a private hospital, was found to be in possession of a scanning machine. Authorities are now delving into the potential involvement of influential individuals in facilitating her activities.

 

In response to the negligence surrounding Kavitha's activities, Shashidhar Kosumbe, a member of the Children’s Welfare Committee, criticised the District Health and Family Welfare Officer, D.B. Pattanashetty, labelling the incident as a blot on civilised society.

 

A report will be sent to the government and a separate complaint will be registered by the committee, said Kosumbe.

 

The case has been transferred from the Sangli police station in Maharashtra to the Mahalingpur police station in Bagalkot district, signalling a concerted effort to pursue justice in this distressing matter.