Karnataka authorities help 9-month baby reunite with mom on Sankranti

By N. B. Hombal Haveri (Karnataka), Jan 18 : The heart-wrenching tale of 23-year-old distraught woman ended on a happy note with police reuniting her with her abandoned toddler. Fed up with her alcoholic husband’s violent behaviour, the woman had decided to first desert her nine-month old baby and then commit suicide. But she failed as every time she tried to attempt suicide she was apparently “prevented” from taking the extreme step.
The development happened four days ago and she was finally reunited with her son during one of the state’s biggest festivals, Sankranti, in Hanagal – a sleepy town in Haveri, one of the most backward districts in the state. Hanagal is 370 kms from tech hub Bengaluru.
Hanagal circle police inspector Shivashankar Ganachari told IANS, it all began when Rekha Madiwalar, mother of nine-month old baby quietly left her baby in one of the busiest roadside dhabas – Garam Masala – last week. “The people only realised after the baby started crying inconsolably either due to hunger or in search of its mother. First dhabawalas and customers ignored the cries of the baby thinking that it must be a stubborn baby. But, when cries got louder, one of the customers informed the police and we went there only to realise that the baby was abandoned,” he explained.
The officer added that after preliminary investigations when the police could not verify who had abandoned the baby then the women and child welfare department officials in Hanagal were alerted, who reached the spot and took the baby into their custody.
While District Child Protection officer (Hangal), Mallikarjuna Mathad told IANS that the moment he saw the abandoned baby, he instantly realised it was not abandoned by any single mother as the child had all religious symbols like – Udadara (silver chain around waist, Hindu boys wear), anklet, bracelet and few lockets around baby’s neck – indicated that child born out of legitimate marriage.
“Though none of the ornaments declared that the child was born into a rich family, it certainly indicated that whichever family it was, it cared for this baby very much,” he explained.