Balaghat (MP): In a chilling case of infanticide, a newborn was allegedly buried alive in a heap of dung to conceal an unmarried woman's pregnancy, while the infant's grandfather attempted suicide following the crime in Madhya Pradesh's Balaghat district, police said on Sunday.
The horrific incident, which took place under the Waraseoni police station limits, came to light after suspicious villagers alerted local police on Friday, following which the body was exhumed on Saturday, an official said.
According to police, villagers heard a baby's cries during the night, and questioned the family about it, but received evasive replies, which raised suspicion.
The village sarpanch later convened a meeting, during which an ASHA worker informed that the family's unmarried daughter had given birth to a baby, the official said.
The police, a naib tehsildar and a medical team then reached the village and exhumed the newborn's body from a dung heap, he said.
The infant was buried with a cloth tied around the mouth and neck, the official said, adding that the exact cause of death will be ascertained after post-mortem examination.
Waraseoni Sub-Divisional Officer of Police Abhishek Choudhary said that the woman's father allegedly consumed pesticide after the incident and was admitted to hospital in a serious condition.
A case of accidental death had been registered, and further legal action would be taken on the post-mortem report and the investigation, he said.