New Delhi:
A two-year-old relentless abused by unidentified adults is fighting for her life at Delhi's AIIMS hospital. Her doctors and nurses have named her "Falak", meaning "the sky." She went through a gruelling brain surgery - her second in recent days - this morning.
1. In critical condition: Doctors who operated on Falak today say they needed to remove fluid from her brain. They say there is "a high likelihood" of post-operative complications. Her chances of survival have worsened.
2. Who is baby Falak? A two-year-old baby was brought to Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on January 18 with severe head injuries, fractured arms and human bite marks all over her. A minor girl who brought her to the hospital reportedly told doctors that the baby had fallen from her bed, but doctors said that claim did not match with the injuries seen on the child's body. Doctors say baby Falak is a victim of the "battered baby syndrome" and is likely to have been abused by a close relative. They say that though they see many cases of child trauma brought to the Emergency at AIIMS, a case of a young baby being willfully battered this way is rare in India. This is the trauma centre," said Dr Sumit Sinha at Delhi's AIIMS hospital. "We see bad cases on a daily basis. But I have never seen this kind of a 'battered baby condition... with the intention of injury."
3. Who brought Falak to AIIMS? The baby was brought to AIIMS by a 15-year old girl, who initially allegedly told doctors that Falak was her baby, and that her injuries were the result of a fall from her bed. The doctors called the police. The teen has been placed in a juvenile home, and has been interviewed at length by members of the Child Welfare Committee. The girl, police is say is victim of kidnapping.
4. Who is Rajkumar? Police have released a photograph today of Rajkumar, the man, they say, who handed over Baby Falak to the teen. The 15-year-old girl has alleged that the man was her boyfriend and had abandoned her. The police team is in Mumbai, where Rajkumar, who is reportedly married, has family. But they are yet to find him.
5. The police investigations: The Delhi Police says it's close to identifying Falak's biological mother. Crucial leads have been provided today by a woman identified so far only as Lakshmi. She has allegedly told the police that in September, a woman named Munni asked Lakshmi for shelter for her baby and herself, and said they had been abandoned by her husband. After 20 days of staying with Lakshmi, Munni disappeared. Lakshmi then handed Falak to a man named Manjot who in turn passed on the baby to Rajkumar. Police say he gave the baby to the teen girl who showed up with Falak at AIIMS earlier this month. The police say the teen may have vented her anger about being deserted on the infant, though this has not been confirmed.