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The infant was abandoned in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara as the father feared losing his government job under rules that restrict employment for those with more than two children.
A newborn baby boy was abandoned in a forest in Madhya Pradesh. Representative image)
In a shocking incident, a newborn baby boy was abandoned by his parents under a rock in a forest in Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh, and left to die. However, the baby endured a night of cold and insect bites before being rescued by villagers.
Chilling details emerged from the three-day-old infant’s night of survival as villagers heard his cries in the Nandanwadi forest at dawn. The villagers approached the area and removed the stone, finding the bloodied, shivering infant alive with ants crawling on his skin.
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The infant was the fourth son of Bablu Dandoliya, a government teacher, and Rajkumari Dandoliya, who decided to abandon their child due to concerns over the loss of the government job as per rules restricting employment for those with more than two children, reported NDTV.
The couple kept the pregnancy secret as they already had three children. In the early hours of September 23, Rajkumari gave birth to the boy, and hours later, they carried him to the forest and left him beneath a stone to die.
As the dawn broke in the Nandanwadi village, morning walkers were the first to hear the infant’s cries. “We thought it was an animal. But when we went closer, we saw tiny hands struggling under a stone. No parent should do this,” a villager told NDTV.
The boy was taken to the Chhindwara district hospital, where doctors confirmed that he had ant bites and symptoms of hypothermia. “His survival is nothing short of miraculous. Exposure overnight in this condition is usually fatal,” a paediatrician was quoted as saying.
Fortunately, the newborn is now safe and under medical supervision. As for his parents, police have filed a case under Section 93 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for child abandonment. Senior officials are being consulted for further action, including charges of attempt to murder.
About the Author
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international…Read More
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international… Read More
Chhindwara, India, India
October 02, 2025, 12:43 IST
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