Maharashtra doctor held for running female foeticide racket for decades

The Story in Brief

A former district civil surgeon in Maharashtra, Dr Chandrakant Gaikwad, has been arrested for allegedly running a female foeticide racket for years. Police say he admitted to performing 200 to 250 illegal abortions. The case has reignited debate about deep-rooted son preference in the state, with National Family Health Survey data showing 9% of women and 12% of men want more sons than daughters. Activists say illegal abortion networks continue to operate despite the state promising tougher action under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act.

The arrest comes decades after a similar case in Beed district where doctors fed aborted female foetuses to dogs. Despite periodic crackdowns, activists say the practice persists because of social pressure on women to produce male heirs. One activist recounted how a woman was forced by her husband to abort a female foetus after an ultrasound. Survivors of botched illegal abortions face lasting physical trauma, but few get justice as clinics operate in secrecy with complicity from families.