[1]Just two months after opening her eyes to this world, baby Neha Afreen, who was badly battered by her father, died at a city hospital on Wednesday morning following a cardiac arrest. She was hooked onto the life-support system at the paediatric ICU of Vani Vilas Hospital for the last four days after she was admitted with severe bruises and bite marks on her bottom. The baby was battered and abused allegedly by her father Umar Farooq, who wanted a baby boy. Farooq, who has since been arrested, had made two earlier attempts to kill the baby, her mother Reshma had said.
The baby was declared dead at 11.10 am on Wednesday. Dr Somegowda, Medical Superintendent of Vani Vilas Hospital, told Deccan Chronicle: “The baby was in a semi-comatose state after her condition deteriorated following two convulsions on Tuesday evening. Since Wednesday morning, she had repeated convulsions. Around 10.45 am, she suffered a cardiac arrest. We tried to control the convulsions, but it only aggravated, leading to the baby's death.”
Afreen had hurried respiration of 30-40 per minute against the normal 20-25 and also pathycardia (increased heart rate). Dr Gangadhar B. Belavadi, head of the Paediatric Department, Vani Vilas Hospital, said: “At the time the baby was brought to the hospital, we had said the chances of her survival are minimal. We had asked a neurology specialist from Nimhans and an ophthalmologist from Minto Eye Hospital to treat Afreen on Tuesday.”
The postmortem was conducted at Victoria Hospital and then the body was shifted to maternal grandfather’s house on Modi Road, D.G. Halli. The final rites were conducted at a graveyard on Tannery Road.
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