Homeless woman gives birth to baby boy in Daltonganj railway station parking area
THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK Daltonganj, October 14: A 28-year-old homeless woman gave birth to a baby boy in the parking area of…
THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, October 14: A 28-year-old homeless woman gave birth to a baby boy in the parking area of Daltonganj railway station, under the Dhanbad division of East Central Railway, on Monday evening, highlighting the vulnerability of people living on the margins.
The delivery took place around 6 pm, when passenger movement in the station parking area was increasing, triggering a commotion among those present, Station Superintendent Umesh Kumar said.
“The woman, Sangita Devi, is not a passenger. She is among those who live in and around the railway station without a permanent home,” Kumar said.
Railway Staff Step In to Help
Following the incident, railway authorities deployed female railway personnel to assist the woman.
“We immediately pressed our female railway personnel into service to take care of the woman,” Kumar said.
However, attempts to contact the 108 ambulance service reportedly went unanswered amid an ongoing strike, sources said. The woman was eventually taken in a battery-operated rickshaw to Medinirai Medical College and Hospital (MMCH) in Daltonganj, around two kilometres from the railway station.
Mother and Newborn Reported Stable
Dr S. S. Horo, a senior gynaecologist at MMCH, told this correspondent late on Monday night that both the woman and her newborn were doing well.
“The woman and her newborn baby boy are doing fine. His umbilical cord has been properly clamped and cut,” he said.
Hospital sources said the newborn had received the BCG vaccine and the oral polio vaccine (OPV), both administered as part of newborn immunisation.
According to the woman, the baby is her third child.
Poverty and Loss Leave Family Vulnerable
Sangita Devi originally hails from Sonepurwa village in the Meral block of Garhwa district, sources said. Her husband, Firoz Ram, died about a month ago.
According to railway sources, the couple had been living in and around the station premises, where Sangita Devi supported their two other children by begging.
“The railway station premises were her home and hearth. She used to raise her two other children by begging,” railway sources said.
Her circumstances underline the hardships faced by homeless families who lack secure shelter and access to basic services.
Railway Station Has Witnessed Similar Incidents
Railway sources recalled that during the COVID-19 pandemic, at least three women passengers had given birth on platforms at Daltonganj railway station.
The latest incident, however, involved a homeless woman living near the station rather than a passenger travelling by train.
Both the mother and her newborn were reported to be in stable condition at MMCH late on Monday night.
