Dr Madhukar Chandrakant Shinde, 45, who was absconding from work in Ratnagiri for the past year and a half, was nabbed by a Pune rural police team in a decoy operation.
Close on the heels of the foeticide at Sangli, the state police have unearthed an illegal sex determination racket and arrested a government doctor.
Dr Madhukar Chandrakant Shinde (45), who was absconding from work in Ratnagiri for the past year-and-half, was nabbed by a Pune rural police team in a decoy operation. He was arrested with three more people, including an alleged agent who would get him clients for the procedure. Shinde allegedly charged Rs 20,000 for the test using a portable sonography machine and has admitted to conducting 40 such procedures, though the police suspect the real number may be higher.
Inspector S. B Chavan of the Yavat police station said they had arrested Shinde, who hails from Phaltan in Satara, for allegedly conducting sex determination procedures on pregnant women. Shinde conducted these examinations in the vehicle or at the womens’ houses.
Dr Satish Pawar, director general, health services, Maharashtra, confirmed that Shinde was absconding from work as medical officer at the Ratnagiri civil hospital and the procedure to terminate his services had been launched four months ago.
The police sent a lady constable who pretended to be pregnant as a decoy. Shinde, who was accompanied by two more pregnant women, took her to a house at Birobachiwadi in Daund, where he conducted the test on a woman waiting there for Rs 20,000 said Dr Rupali Pakhare, medical officer, Daund sub-district hospital, who was part of the team.
Police sub-inspector Vikas Nale told DNA that Shinde, who holds a MBBS degree and a post-graduate diploma in Obsterics and Gynaecology (DGO) had been posted at four places in the past as a medical officer, including Rajale in Phaltan and Mokhada in Thane.
“He was posted at the Ratnagiri district government hospital but absconded from work for one-and-half year... After this, he was conducting sex determination tests on pregnant women. We suspect Shinde was involved such activities earlier too,” said Nale, adding that Shinde went to various place for tests once “patients” contacted him.
Nale added that Shinde admitted to have purchased the machine at an exhibition in New Delhi.
Though portable sonography machines are permitted, they have to be registered and used only within the hospital premises. Registration is also mandatory for manufacturers and dealers of these machines and purchases have to be made from them.
Nale said after his arrest on March 10, Shinde claimed he was only conducting sex determination and was not referring the women to other gynecologists for medical termination of pregnancy. “We are sure he has links with other doctors,” he added, stating that Shinde had confessed to conducting 40 sex determination procedures in areas like Phaltan, Daund and Baramati.
Pakhare said they were checking if the portable machine, which seemed to have been made in China, had been registered.
*The PCPNDT Act prevents misuse of pre-natal sex determination techniques and female foeticide, which arises due to regressive social practices like dowry and son preference. It punishes errant medical professionals with imprisonment up to three years and a fine which may extend to Rs 10,000 and subsequent conviction may see up to five year imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs 50,000.
*Maharashtra’s general sex ratio declined from 934 in 1991 to 922 in 2001 but marginally rose to 925 in 2011. In contrast, India’s sex ratio has increased from 927 in 1991 to 933 in 2011 and 940 in 2011. The state's child sex ratio (ratio of girls to boys between zero to six years) has fallen from 946 in 1991 to 913 in 2001 and 883 in 2011 as against 914 in 2011, 927 in 2001 and 946 in 1991 for India.
*The intensity of the problem can be gauged from the health department’s estimates that considering the average expected sex ratio of 952 and the child sex ratio of 883 in the 2011 census, Maharashtra may have seen around 4,68,680 female foeticides between 2001 and 2011, including 30,116 in Mumbai.
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