Poverty Drives Newborn Handover as Tripura Hospital Records Spark Questions
- By Thetripurapost Desk, Agartala
- Sep 02, 2026
- 126
A deeply distressing incident has emerged from remote Giddhikumar village under Bagafa block in South Tripura, where severe financial hardship has reportedly forced a tribal family of six to part with their newborn son.
The family, already struggling to meet basic household needs, had little means to support another child after raising four children. According to the investigation, the parents had decided before the baby’s birth that the newborn would be placed with a childless woman.
The matter came to light after the baby was born at Baikhora Primary Health Centre on August 25. The infant was reportedly handed over to Devika Reang, a childless woman from Deshrai Para, instead of remaining with his biological mother, Manimala Tripura.
The incident initially triggered allegations of possible child trafficking in the area. The issue subsequently reached Child Line, prompting representatives to verify the circumstances and examine the hospital documentation.
The scrutiny of the records revealed a major discrepancy.
Hospital documents reportedly did not contain any admission or delivery record in the name of Manimala Tripura. Instead, Devika Reang was recorded as the woman who had delivered the baby.
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According to the records, Devika Reang was admitted to the health centre on the morning of August 25 and was discharged approximately 90 minutes after giving birth that afternoon. Her name was also recorded as the mother on the discharge certificate, while the document reportedly carried her husband's name in the corresponding section.
The conflicting information prompted further investigation. Child Line officials, accompanied by police personnel and a magistrate, subsequently visited Manimala Tripura’s residence in Giddhikumar.
During the inquiry, investigators reportedly established that Manimala was the biological mother of the newborn and had indeed delivered the child.
The investigation further indicated that extreme poverty was behind the family’s decision to separate from the baby. With four children already in the household, Manimala and her husband, Harendra Tripura, reportedly felt they were financially incapable of raising another child.
Devika Reang, meanwhile, had no children of her own. According to the inquiry, the two families had allegedly agreed beforehand that the newborn would be placed with her.
Investigators also suspect that this arrangement led to Devika Reang’s name being entered into the health centre's records as the baby's mother. The apparent intention was to establish her as the mother in official documentation and subsequently facilitate preparation of a birth certificate on that basis.
However, such a private transfer of a newborn does not constitute the legally prescribed adoption procedure. Child adoption in India has to follow the applicable statutory process, rather than being completed through an informal agreement between families.
Following administrative intervention, both families were brought to Baikhora police station on Monday. During the proceedings, Manimala Tripura and her husband reportedly told officials that their severe financial condition prevented them from taking responsibility for another child.
The newborn was subsequently taken back from Devika Reang and placed under official care. The child has reportedly been sent to the State Adoption Agency, where further action will be taken in accordance with the legal procedure.
The episode has also raised questions about the functioning of Baikhora Primary Health Centre. Officials are now expected to examine how the medical records came to carry the name of a woman who, according to the investigation, was not the biological mother, along with her husband's identity.
The circumstances surrounding the preparation and maintenance of the hospital documents have therefore come under scrutiny, including whether the discrepancy resulted from negligence or another lapse.
What began as local speculation about possible child trafficking has ultimately uncovered a complicated case involving extreme poverty, an informal attempt to transfer a newborn and serious questions surrounding official birth records.
The incident has generated considerable concern in the Baikhora area, while the authorities' intervention has ensured that the newborn has been placed under the prescribed legal and institutional process.
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