The Delhi Police on Monday sought to clear the air on the unfortunate death of six- month-old baby girl Rukaiyah allegedly during demolition of a slum cluster in West Delhi’s Shakur Basti on Saturday.
Citing the post-mortem examination report, the Joint Commissioner of Police, South Western range, Dependra Patahk, said the baby died much before the demolition had begun. The autopsy report conducted at Sanjay Gandhi hospital said the child died between 9 am and 9.30 am, said Pathak, adding that the demolition began around 12 pm on Saturday.
In a related development, the Delhi Police has registered a case of death due to negligence at Punjabi Bagh police station, on the basis of statement of Mohammad Anwar, father of the deceased on Sunday.
According to the statement by Anwar, a tied bundle of clothes fell down on the girl sleeping on the floor as the family, in a hurry to vacate their shanty, was collecting their belongings, said a senior police officer.
“As the officials came knocking, we started quickly packing our belongings. In the ensuing melee we did not realise when a heap of clothes fell on her which turned out to be fatal. My child, who had just started seeing the world, would have been by my side today if the officials had given us little time and a prior notice,” the toddler’s father Anwar said.
The post- mortem report has mentioned cause of her death due to shock and injuries on chest and head by impact of blunt force. “The cause of death of the seven-month-old baby was shock as a result of chest and head injury due to blunt force impact, the report said. Autopsy has revealed fractures in ribs and head injury, it added.