"I won’t have to listen to my in-laws’ taunts"
An Indian woman stole a newborn baby boy after constant criticisms from her in-laws for not having a male child.
Anisha Khatun, from Jharkhand’s Chatra district, has three daughters with her husband Iqbal Ansari.
However, Khatun frequently faced taunts from her husband’s family about not being able to have a son.
The mental torture became too much and compelled Khatun to visit a local hospital and steal someone else’s baby.
On Saturday, June 5, 2021, Anisha Khatun visited the hospital, lifted the baby and quietly fled the scene.
The baby’s mother, identified as Rajani Devi, had gone to the bathroom and raised the alarm after she found her baby was missing.
Devi’s brother found Khatun walking with something in her arm, and she ran when he asked her to stop.
Hearing him cry after her, onlookers chased and caught her.
After searching Khatun, they found the baby boy wrapped in clothes in her arms. Out of fear of being assaulted, she immediately confessed.
According to local police official Luv Kumar, they have arrested Anisha Khatun and an investigation is underway.
During interrogation, Khatun revealed that she felt forced into abducting the baby boy due to her in-laws criticising her for not bearing a son.
She told the police:
“I was very upset as there used to be quarrels in the house almost daily.
“So I went to steal the child thinking I won’t have to listen to my in-laws’ taunts anymore.”
Anisha Khatun could not explain how stealing a baby would solve her issues with her in-laws.
However, Rajani Devi expressed her happiness to get her son back, who she gave birth to on June 1, 2021.
Speaking of Khatun, Devi said:
“I am a mother, so I can feel her agony. But it is not right to take this wrong path in the desire of the son.”
Anisha Khatun’s desperation for a baby boy highlights the ever-present issue of gender inequality.
Despite government efforts, gender discrimination remains a prominent issue in Jharkhand.
Speaking of their plans to change this, Jharkhand’s Governor Droupadi Murmu recently said:
“It is necessary to bring changes in people’s mindset and create awareness among them.
“Everyone should understand that a boy and a girl are equal and a person becomes great through his/her deeds.”
Murmu also said that it is impossible to achieve human rights and social justice without gender equality.
To date, Jharkhand’s gender ratio is 941 females per 1,000 males.
Loading ...