UP Police SHO's wife Jyoti Singh Saves Abandoned Infant by Breast-feeding Her

In a world where we hear of atrocities against women and girls on a daily basis, Jyoti Singh, wife of Station House Officer, Greater Noida, saved an abandoned female infant by breast-feeding her. Jyoti Singh has been nicknamed Mother India for her noble and righteous efforts. She has received country-wide praise for her actions in saving the life of an abandoned infant.

On December 20, it was reported to the police that there was a child wrapped in a cloth inside the bushes in the Knowledge Park area of Greater Noida. The condition of the infant was reported to be critical due to the cold, and the parents of the baby were nowhere to be found.

As soon as the information was received, the police took cognizance and reached the spot. The child was taken under protection at the Greater Noida police station.

The infant was crying inconsolably due to her being severely hungry and cold, but the dilemma was that the abandoned baby could consume nothing but breast milk.

This is when “Mother India,” Jyoti Singh, wife of Station House Officer, volunteered to breast-feed the infant.

Thanks to her angelic actions and taking the charge, the child is saved and is in stable condition now.

However, the police have not yet been able to track down the parents of the infant, who left her mercilessly in the cold. Jyoti Singh has spoken out against such grotesque action, condemning it. She has also urged the parents not to disown their children and instead seek help from NGOs and orphanages if they are unable to raise the kids alone. Speaking to the press, Jyoti Singh said, “I can’t understand how someone could do something like this with a child? I felt miserable watching the baby suffer and felt like crying. I could not just stand and watch her cry, which is why I decided to breastfeed her.”

It is of major concern that there is a continuous rise in crime against women in the country. The news is full of atrocities against women and the female population of the country. In the above case, would it have been different had it been a male child and not a female?

The annual report of the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) has noted that even though crime rates may have declined in 2022, crimes against women rose 4% in 2022 as compared to 2021. This report was released on December 4, 2023.

Asha Rose Migiro, former Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, noted, “Nowhere in the world is a woman safe from violence. The strengthening of global commitment to counteract this plague is a movement whose time has come.”

In 2021, India recorded the highest number of crimes against women ever. The rising graph is a matter of serious concern. It is to be further noted that women are not safe even in their own homes. The most reported violent crime against women in India are recorded under the legal term "cruelty by husband or his relatives.” In fact, a general survey noted that more than 40% of women and 38% of men believe that it is okay for a man to beat his wife if she disrespects her in-laws, neglects her home or children, goes out without telling him, or refuses sex.

Furthermore, dowry was outlawed by India in 1961; however, according to a recent survey by the World Bank, dowry was paid in 95% of marriages in rural India. New brides are often harassed for not bringing in enough dowry. Thousands of women are killed by their husbands and in-laws for precisely the same reason too.

India has a long way to go before it can gain gender equality. Now is a high time for implementation of effective policies and stringent law-making to elevate women’s status and address the root cause of gender-based violence. There is a need of education on the grass-root level for women to be aware of their rights and their duties. It is only when the female population of the country is educated about their rights will they be able to speak up about the injustices against them.