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‘Evidence often insufficient for conviction’

CHANDIGARH: In a society biased towards male progeny, unchecked technology has boosted the prevalence of female foeticide in Punjab.

Most of the clinics in small towns of Punjab undertake sex-determination tests for Rs.1,200 and inform the sex of the child by asking the pregnant lady to ‘start knitting pink/blue socks’, with pink standing for a girl and blue for a boy.

In villages which do not have access to ultrasound clinics, quacks and mid-wives arrange for a mobile ultrasound van. Such vans were first reported by Dr. Harshinder Kaur, who was honoured with a State award on Independence Day for preventing female foeticide.

“Despite making strong cases against the accused, there have hardly been any convictions as the legal instruments like Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971 and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act, 1994, and their subsequent amendments are weak and not implemented effectively,” Dr. Kaur said.

“Conviction in such cases is low because there has to be concrete evidence. All we are left with is a seized ultrasound machine, which is insufficient evidence to prove the crime,” said a SHO, who investigated over dozen cases of female foeticide in Ludhiana.

According to the 2001 census, Punjab has the worst sex ratio of 798 females per 1000 males in the age group of up to 6 years. Chandigarh has the lowest sex ratio, 773 females per 1000 males, in the country despite its high literacy rate of 81.76 per cent.

According to Dr. Manvinder Kaur, reader at the centre for women studies, Punjab University, reasons of ‘son-mania’ are socio-cultural and economic.

“The agrarian set-up associated with the ownership of land accords a low status to women. Daughters are unable to provide social security to parents and even society looks down upon parents who depend on their daughters for social security.”

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‘Evidence often insufficient for conviction’

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