Ex-civil surgeon held for sex determination

Our Correspondent

Kharar, May 14

A former civil surgeon, Dr Rajinder Singh Saggu, and his assistant were today arrested for violating the PNDT Act after a joint team of the district Health Department and the police raided his ultrasound centre near bus stand here.

The District Family Welfare Officer (DFWO), Dr Usha Rani, had complained to the police that Ramash Dutt, director of an NGO, informed her that Hartej Clinic and Ultrasound Centre, owned by Dr Saggu and assisted by his attendant Mohinder Kaur, was illegally carrying out ultrasound for sex determination on pregnant women.

Acting on the complaint, a joint team of the Health Department and the police, comprising the DFWO and Kharar SMO HS Obroi, was formed and a decoy patient sent to the centre with Rs 12,000. The team noted down the numbers of the currency notes. After the ultrasound was carried out, the decoy patient informed the team, which was waiting outside the ultrasound centre.

After the ultrasound test, the decoy patient was informed that she was having a female foetus. The team swooped on the centre and recovered 

Rs 10,000 from Dr Saggu and Rs 2,000 from Mohinder Kaur.

No entry of the decoy patient was found in the PNDT register maintained at the centre.

Dr Usha Rani said the entire action was videotaped and the centre sealed. The team even recovered the instrument used for medical termination of pregnency (MTP). She said the centre was not legalised for the MTP. Sikander Singh, ASI, Kharar, said a case under the PNDT Act had been registered and Dr Saggu and Mohinder Kaur arrested. Dr Saggu had served as civil surgeon in Ropar in early 2000s.