Agra: Former IMA chief who campaigned for Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao held for carrying sex determination tests

With the Rajasthan police arresting former Indian Medical Association (IMA) chapter president of Agra and the owner of Chopra Super Speciality Hospital Dr Nirmal Chopra for illegally determining the sex of a foetus.

Speculations are rife in Agra that several other ultrasound clinics in the city could also be under scanner.

Dr Chopra was arrested on Friday evening along with her receptionist Tanisha, two brokers Netrapal and Mahipal and is being kept in police custody in Bharatpur, where the police is interrogating her to know the extent of this racket.

According to the police sources, the brokers Mahipal and Netrapal charged Rs 30,000 for sex determination from the family of the expecting mother and out of this, Rs 15,000 was given to Dr Chopra, while the remaining amount was distributed equally between Tanisha, Mahipal and Netrapal.

SONOGRAPHY MACHINE SEALED

The police have also sealed the sonography machine installed at the hospital. PCPNDT team leader Naveen Jain told India Today that the team had received information that Dr Chopra was indulging in this illegal activity of sex determination and many women from Bharatpur, Dholpur and other districts of Rajasthan were consulting her for the same.

The team had also learned that Dr Chopra was also suggesting and conducting abortions of female foetuses.

To arrest Dr Chopra and her accomplices, a sting operation was laid out with a pregnant woman from Bharatpur used as a decoy. The woman was brought to the Sadar Bazar based nursing home of Dr Chopra where the receptionist Tanisha demanded Rs 30,000 for determining the sex of the foetus. The payment was made and the woman was taken in for ultrasound.

As soon as Dr Chopra pronounced the sex of the foetus, she was taken into custody along with her accomplices. The amount of Rs 30,000 was also recovered and they were taken to Bharatpur for further inquiry.

Dr Chopra has been the president of the Agra Chapter of IMA from 2007-2009. She is also a member of several social organizations and is renowned as a social worker in the city.

Her stress during her public appearances always remained on 'Beti Bachao - Beti Padhao' campaign of PM Modi, but in the guise of social work, she was involved in one of the most heinous of acts.

HOTSPOT FOR SEX DETERMINATION

Social activist Vishal Sharma said that Agra has become the hotspot for sex-determination these days. Several such cases have been reported in the recent few years, but Dr. Chopra's case is the most high-profile of them all as her image in the city was that of a socially active and responsible professional.

But it is clear that she is not alone in this racket and names of other doctors have been revealed from time to time by the police.

Several doctors have even been arrested, but this activity is still continuing, as was proved by Dr Chopra's arrest. It is very shameful that despite the wildly skewed sex ratio in most of the country, medical professionals are themselves getting involved in such barbaric acts.

He said that it is the responsibility of the health department as well as social organizations to prevent such illegal activities and strict action should be taken against such people who are involved in this.

SEVERAL STATES INVOLVED IN SEX DETERMINATION

Senior Physician Dr S K Kalra said that it is not just Agra that has become the center of such activities, but there are such black sheep in almost every large city of Uttar Pradesh, although Agra is more easily accessible as it shares the border with several states including Haryana, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh.

IMA President Dr R S Kapoor said that this case has severely dented the image of the IMA and the association would like to go to the depth of this incident.

He said that the association is completely against sex determination of fetuses and if Dr Chopra is indeed involved in this racket, then the association will take action against her in the coming meeting.

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