Jagannath Prasad: A newborn baby girl, found abandoned at Kadap village of Aladi panchayat under Jagannath Prasad block of Ganjam district, was rescued by villagers Tuesday.
Shantilata Sahoo, a resident of the village, heard the baby’s cry when she went up her roof to dry clothes. Out of curiosity, she tried to find out the source of the child’s cry that led her to a field behind her house where the infant was found abandoned.
She immediately informed the villagers about the incident. In the presence of local sarpanch, Shantilata and an ASHA worker rescued the infant and rushed it to Jagannath Prasad government hospital in an ambulance.
The infant is undergoing treatment and is said to be out of danger.
While some of the locals said an unwed mother could have dumped the baby fearing social stigma, several others suggested the baby could have been abandoned because it is a girl child. Meanwhile, local police have started an investigation into the matter.