Darj in shock as newborn’s body found in bazaar

SNS, Darjeeling, 9 May 2014: It was another shocker for Darjeeling residents. Local at the bazaar found a dead new born baby this morning, neatly packed in a vegetable box, while residents talked about who the thick-skinned parents of the baby could be. “The scene in the morning was in bad taste, and kind of horrific too,” a local who saw the baby in the box and the sensation that followed.

Locals said someone must have left the infant there to die in the cold last night.

The body of the child has been sent for post-mortem, while police said they are waiting for the report.

The incident sent shockwaves among the Darjeeling folk, while it instantly became the talk of the town. Some people said two newly born infants were found dead in the woods near the town in the recent past.

“Such heinous crimes are not new to Darjeeling, but what hurts me is the fact that nothing much has been done to stop these things from happening again and again,” said another local in Darjeeing.

According to a police official, his department does not keep records of such cases, while “hardly any complaint is lodged against such cases.”

Asked if there is anyone or any organization that keeps records of such a worrying trend, a member of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), said: "According to the rules, police have to inform us of such an incident. Only then can we maintain the records of such cases."

"The police did not inform us of the incident today," the CWC member said, admitting that such cases have seen a slight rise in their numbers in Darjeeling town.