Then it was Pari, now it’s Poonam

Another shocking incident of a three-month-old girl found abandoned in a rail compartment of Puri-Ahmedabad Express, seven months after Pari was found from another train

Yogesh Avasthi

Posted On Monday, October 29, 2012 (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/2/20121029201210290255111604ebfa869/Then-it-was-Pari-now-it%E2%80%99s-Poonam.html)

Exactly seven months after ‘Pari’ was found abandoned at the Ahmedabad railway station, another infant girl was found in a similar situation from a railway compartment. The baby who is believed to be around three months old, was found wrapped in a blanket in the 12843 Puri-Ahmedabad Express on Sunday morning soon after the train reached the Kankaria yard. 

 According to railway sources, the train reached Kalupur station at 8.30 am. Thereafter it was sent to the Kankaria yard. Safai kamdar (cleaner) Hitesh Parmar who was cleaning the coaches heard a wailing sound from S9 coach. On taking a closer look, he found a baby girl wrapped in a blanket on seat number 30 (upper berth). He informed the yard supervisor Vijay Pardeshi, who in turn intimated Railway Police Force (RPF) officials. 

An RPF team soon arrived to take charge of the girl. Dipti Parmar, a woman RPF employee, was among the first to take care of the baby. Two railway employees – Kamoben Thakore and Shamima Bano – then took charge of the girl. Kamoben is affectionately known as the yard mother as she has taken care of four abandoned baby girls in the past, including Pari. She hugged the baby and named her Poonam since Monday is Sharad Poornima (full moon). She told Mirror, “I have daughters at home and know very well how to look after babies. I was also the first one to take Pari in my hands. Similarly, I have looked after other babies who were found in similar conditions.”

Shamima Bano arranged for milk to feed Poonam. Meanwhile, Senior DSC (Divisional Security Commissioner) Sumati Shandilya said, “As soon as we came to know about the baby girl, we took her in our custody. She is looked after well. We are referring the railway charts, CCTV cameras and investigations are being conducted by Government Railway Police (GRP) to trace her parents. She has also been taken to Civil Hospital for a medical check-up. We have also informed the stations across the Western Railways and the railway board to get a clue of the baby.” 

Commenting on Poonam’s condition, GRP PSI Puja Gamit said, “Perhaps Poonam had been on the train since 7.30 am or earlier. She was handed over to GRP only around 11.30 am. She was later examined at Civil Hospital. Her condition warrants two more days stay at the hospital as she is suffering from malnutrition, but there is no cause for worry. We are checking the CCTV cameras, but we haven’t got a breakthrough yet. Now, we would check the list of S9 passengers.”