Delhi doctor arrested for conducting sex determination test, FIR registered

Pre-natal sex determination has raised its ugly head in Delhi once again. In what could possibly be the tip of the iceberg in the nexus between private hospitals and doctors in running illegal sex determination racket in Delhi and neighbouring Haryana, a doctor was caught red-handed on Monday. He was conducting a pre-natal sex determination test. The doctor was arrested and an FIR was registered against him. A team of doctors and officials from Jhajjar district in Haryana sent a decoy customer to Bahadurgarh as they had prior information about a tout, Akash, who was helping people in getting sex determination tests done. After the operation, a doctor from MSG super-specialty hospital in Punjabi Bagh was arrested and six ultrasound machines were sealed.

The 'operation' assumes significance as Haryana has the dubious record of being the worst state across the country in terms of sex ratio, with just 879 females per 1,000 males. In the list of top 100 districts with worst sex ratios, 12 are from Haryana. According to sources, Akash charged Rs 11,000 from his customers to get sex determination tests done. "We got information about him (Akash) from our sources and we decided to do a sting operation to get to the root of the racket. We were shocked to find that a private hospital from Delhi was helping him," Dr Rakesh Kumar, deputy civil surgeon, Jhajjar district told Mail Today. He added the team followed Akash from Bahadurgarh. The PCPNDT Act, 1194 was enacted to stop female foeticides and arrest the declining sex ratio in the country. Prenatal sex determination is banned under the Act.

"He took the woman in an autorickshaw to Shivaji Park Metro Station," Rakesh said. While the duo was waiting at the station, a car stopped in front of them. Sources said a woman came out of the auto and made a mark on the decoy's wrist. "It seemed like a code," Rakesh said. When the woman reached MGS hospital, a doctor immediately took her inside for examination. "The doctor congratulated me and said it's a boy," the woman told officers. "We have terminated the doctor's services. We were not aware that he was resorting to such illegal practices in the hospital. We were shocked," Dr RK Mathur, medical superintendent of MGS hospital, told Mail Today.

Officials from west Delhi district administration were also present in the hospital during investigation. "We found that the hospital did not follow many guidelines laid down under the PCPNDT Act. Six ultrasound machines have been sealed and the doctor has been arrested," a Delhi government official told Mail Today. Under the PCPNDT Act, a pregnant woman is considered innocent of the act of sex determination unless proven otherwise. Medical personnel, responsible people at the facility, mediators who may abet the pregnant woman's access to such information, husband and relatives of the woman and anyone advertising sex selection in any form are the ones who can be held liable.

In a similar incident, a doctor conducting a sex determination test at the Bhatnagar Hospital in Gurgaon was caught redhanded on Sunday. The district administration of Gurgaon has started a helpline number (8010088088) where one can provide information on hospitals or individuals involved in sex determination tests. According to Delhi government data, in 2014, the Capital had a sex ratio of 896 females per 1,000 males. In May last year, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain busted an illegal sex determination racket after he received a tip-off on instant messaging app WhatsApp. He later cancelled the licence of the hospital and imposed a fine.

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