Agartala, May 26:A tribal woman, Mormari Tripura, allegedly sold her newborn daughter out of acute poverty in the Dhalai district of Tripura alleged Opposition party CPIM.
The administration denied the sale but later rescued the child on Saturday and returned the new born to her mother.
Mormari, 39, who has five children including the newborn, lost her husband five months ago to suicide attributed to their financial struggles. On Thursday, she delivered the baby at the Sub-Divisional Hospital and sold the child the next day to a couple for Rs. 5,500.
Opposition leader Jitendra Chaudhury highlighted the incident as a consequence of severe poverty in the interior regions, exacerbated by declining MGNREGA work.
He criticized the state government, the BJP, and its ally TIPRA Motha for neglecting the basic needs of the tribal population, leading to such desperate acts.
The Dhalai district administration acknowledged Mormari’s poverty but denied the sale of the child. They have pledged support for her, and with the assistance of Childline, ensured the safe return of the baby. Both mother and child are currently under observation at Ambassa.
This incident follows a similar case in Khowai district last year, where a child sold due to poverty was also recovered and returned to the mother.
