In a shocking incident in Madhya Pradesh, a government school teacher and his wife have been booked for allegedly abandoning their newborn son, fearing the state's two-child policy would cost the teacher his job. The couple, identified as Bablu Dandolia, 38, and Rajkumari, 28, already had three children – an 11-year-old daughter, a seven-year-old daughter, and a four-year-old son. They reportedly concealed the birth of their third child but worried that registering a fourth would lead to Bablu's job termination.

Rajkumari gave birth to a baby boy on September 23rd. Three days later, the couple took the infant to a forest in the Dhanora area and left him there. Initially, they were booked for abandonment, but the charges were elevated to attempted murder after a video surfaced, revealing the baby buried under stones.

Miraculously, villagers heard the baby's cries and rescued him from beneath the stones. The three-day-old boy was rushed to the hospital and survived. The incident came to light with the couple's arrest on Tuesday.

According to Dhanora Police Station in-charge Lakhanlal Ahirwar, the couple feared that Bablu would lose his job if they registered their fourth child. The incident occurred in Nandanwadi village.

This case has brought attention to Madhya Pradesh's concerning rate of infant abandonment. Ironically, the day of the couple's arrest coincided with the release of National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data that showed Madhya Pradesh topping the list of states with the most infant abandonment cases for the fourth consecutive year.

In another incident in Raisen district, Madhya Pradesh, a 30-year-old mother was arrested for abandoning her newborn daughter in a garbage vehicle. Police were able to identify the woman through a T-shirt that was used to wrap the baby. The woman confessed that she abandoned her child due to financial difficulties and fear of social stigma. She had secretly given birth at home and avoided informing Anganwadi workers or hospital staff.

These incidents highlight the complex social and economic factors that can contribute to child abandonment, including poverty, social stigma, and, as in the Chhindwara case, fear of repercussions from government policies.