Kolkata horror: 'Not fetuses of 14 infants but medical waste was found in plastic bags', corrects Kolkata Police, as fears of coverup emerge

In a finding that the word shocking doesn't even begin to describe and officials communications that further compound the matter, fetuses of 14 infants wrapped in plastic bags were allegedly recovered from an empty plot in South Kolkata’s Haridevpur area on Sunday. 'The 14 plastic bags contain bodies of newborns soaked in chemical and a post-mortem will be conducted', the police said initially.

However, within an hour, the police in a 'correctional' statement, rejected reports and went on to clarify that what were previously believed to be the fetuses and fully- or semi-decomposed bodies of infants, were nothing but medical waste packed in plastic bags.

"No human tissue was found in the packets when they were opened by doctors. Some dry ice is there. An examination is on for exact nature of the material," said Nilanjan Biswas, deputy commissioner of Kolkata police's southwest Division.

After sending the bags to MR Bangur Hospital for post-mortem examination, the doctors said that they were not able to find any ‘human elements’ in the packets.

Read: Amputated Foot As A Pillow? This Video From Jhansi Exposes The Shocking Medical Apathy In The Country 

Earlier, the alleged bodies, wrapped in plastic bags, were recovered from empty land on Raja Rammohan Roy Sarani by the labourers who were reportedly hired by a real estate firm to clear the plot for construction purposes.

Biswas had said, "The labourers were removing the garbage today morning when they saw the 14 plastic bags. They informed the local councillors, following which the police got the information. We will investigate. We are also checking the CCTV footage in the area. A complete search will be done tomorrow (Monday) morning." 

Kolkata Mayor Sovan Chatterjee and police commissioner Rajiv Kumar also visited the area and initiated a probe. The Mayor first revealed the recovery of 'fetuses' to the media. The plastic-wrapped 'fetuses' were taken to M R Bangur super-specialty hospital in Tollygunge for post-mortem.

While the exact nature of the find is unclear, fears remain that it is a repeat of the ghastly events of early 2017 when a similar number of female fetuses were found, disguised as medical refuse, at Maharashtra's Sangli. The ensuing investigation had led to the discovery of a child abortion racket and network.

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