Shamli: In a shocking case from Shamli district, Uttar Pradesh, a female doctor was caught red-handed performing illegal fetal gender determination tests. The operation, conducted jointly by Haryana’s health department and Uttar Pradesh police, targeted Maa Savitri Hospital on Budhana Road, where Dr. Neelam Shukla, a BAMS graduate, was found engaging in unauthorized practices.
The raid was initiated based on a tip-off, with a decoy patient sent to the clinic. During the test, Dr. Shukla disclosed the fetus’s gender as female and charged the undercover patient ₹30,000 for the procedure. When the authorities raided the hospital’s basement, they discovered Dr. Shukla along with a woman and a young man, all of whom were arrested on the spot.
The raid led to the seizure of an ultrasound machine and cash. Investigations revealed that while the hospital had documents for a licensed radiology doctor, the individual had passed away three months earlier. Dr. Shukla, who lacked authorization to conduct such procedures, had been exploiting the setup to conduct illegal gender determination tests and offer abortions for ₹30,000.
An FIR was lodged at Sadar Kotwali police station in Shamli against Dr. Shukla and her accomplices, who are now facing legal action. Dr. Vishwajeet Rathi, nodal officer of the Haryana health department, revealed that the operation began after a pregnant woman was lured from Gohana, Haryana, to Shamli by a midwife. The team followed them to the clinic, where they apprehended the doctor in the act.
This incident underscores the persistent challenge of illegal gender determination practices, prohibited under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, which continues to be a pressing issue despite stringent laws.
