Amritsar: Gynaecologist arrested under PCPNDT Act

Amritsar: In a one of its kind case, police have arrested a gynaecologist doctor under the PC-PNDT Act after she was caught in a sting operation performed by the health officials in the city. As per the sting, the women doctor was caught after she promised a decoy patient, sex determination and consequent abortion, if the foetus turned out to be female.

The sting was performed, after the health officials sent a decoy to Dr Shupla Sharma, of Bharat Hospital, in Chheharta. The decoy informed the doctor about having two daughters already and her intentions to abort the child if the current pregnancy, too, was a female foetus. Tribune reports that the decoy managed to give Rs 15,000  for a sex determination test and later for abortion if the fetus was a girl child.

The doctor, then sent the patient to a diagnostic centre for sex determination. However it is reported that act was unsuccessful when the diagnostic centre refused to conduct the test, as recounted by a health official.

The health officials led by the Civil Surgeon, Dr Jai Singh along with the decoy patient, then went back to Bharat Hospital, where they recovered the mark currency notes from the doctor. SHO of Chheharta Police Station, Arun Kumar, said, “We have received a written complaint from the Civil Surgeon who is the appropriate authority under PC-PNDT Act regarding the acceptance of money for conducting abortion by the woman doctor.”He said a case under relevant sections of PC-PNDT Act had been registered against Shupla Sharma and she had been arrested. He added that the arrested doctor would be produced in the court tomorrow under the charges which are non-bailable and non-compoundable.