Dhanbad, October 29, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
A woman died during an allegedly botched abortion procedure in Jharkhand’s Dhanbad district after a foetal sex determination test was reportedly conducted at a diagnostic centre. The incident has once again raised concerns over the illegal practice of prenatal sex determination and gender-based abortions.
Police have arrested the woman’s husband and the operator of the diagnostic centre in connection with the case. The centre, Central Diagnostic Centre, located at Shyamdih Chowk, has also been sealed.
The deceased has been identified as Kiran Kumari. According to officials, her family has alleged that her husband decided to force her to undergo an abortion after learning that the foetus was female.
The victim’s brother, Chandrika Kumar, said Kiran was three to four months pregnant and that the couple already had a daughter. Family members alleged that during her second pregnancy, her husband arranged a sex determination test and pressured her into undergoing an illegal abortion after discovering that she was carrying a girl.
According to the family’s allegations, Kiran suffered excessive bleeding during the procedure, causing her condition to deteriorate rapidly. She was taken to Sanjeevani Hospital, where doctors declared her dead.
Following her death, grieving and angry family members staged a protest on the hospital premises, demanding strict legal action against those responsible. They also alleged that doctors and adequate medical assistance were not available in time at the hospital.
Acting on the case, police arrested Kiran’s husband, Sonu Kewat, and Sachin Kewat, the operator of Central Diagnostic Centre.
Katras Sub-Divisional Police Officer Ajit Kumar Vimal confirmed the incident and said a police team reached the spot after receiving information and initiated an investigation. Preliminary findings indicate that the woman may have died following an improperly conducted abortion and severe blood loss.
A team from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) has also been called in to carry out scientific and technical examinations as part of the investigation.
Prenatal sex determination and gender selection are prohibited in India under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC-PNDT) Act, 1994.
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