3 held for illegal sex determination of foetus at clinic

Ranchi: Three persons were arrested on Sunday for allegedly running an ultrasound centre for sex determination in city’s Pandra area, officers said. The accused have been identified as Suranjan Kumar, Akash Kumar and Shila Kumari.The accused were arrested for violating the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Technique (PCPNDT) Act. A team formed under directions from Ranchi deputy commissioner Manjunath Bhajantri raided the centre and arrested the accused.“During the raid, the trio were found carrying out sex determination of foetus of a pregnant woman using a portable ultrasound machine. Following that, hey were arrested and directions were given to lodge a case against the trio and send them to jail, “ an official communiqué from the district administration read.In May, National Health Mission (NHM) Jharkhand chapter director Shashi Prakash Jha convened a review meeting with civil surgeons-cum-nodal officers of PCPNDT Act, executive magistrates of all districts and other health officials and directed to ensure strict enforcement of the Act and conduct drives to plug gaps in monitoring mechanisms and prevent misuse of diagnostic facilities for sex determination as well as checking other lapses at diagnostic centres operating across the state.