SCB hospital authorities hand over Atmaja to her mother Rashmita in Cuttack on Saturday. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, Aug. 11: Curtain fell on one of the most publicised baby swap controversies in Odisha with SCB Medical College and Hospital authorities today handing over four-and-a-half-month-old Atmaja to her biological mother Rashmita Mallick.

Rashmita had abandoned Atmaja soon after her birth at the SCB hospital claiming that she had given birth to a male child. She had accused the hospital authorities of swapping her male baby with the girl.

The hospital authorities denied the charge of baby swapping, following which the matter went to Orissa High Court. The court issued directives for a DNA test of Atmaja’s parents. The DNA report from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory, Hyderabad, which was placed in the court yesterday, proved conclusively that Rashmita was the mother of the child.

Doctors and nurses at the special neonatal care unit (SNCU) of the hospital took care of Atmaja during the entire period of the dispute. “We have been looking after Atmaja since the day she was kept at the SNCU. We have developed a strong emotional bond with her. It is difficult for us to forget her,” said Diptimayee Sahu, a nurse.

SCB superintendent D.N. Moharana said: “The high court had directed us to hand over the custody of the girl child to her real mother by August 11. Accordingly, the child was handed over to her biological parents today after certain paper work.”

Expressing satisfaction with the outcome of the DNA report, Rashmita said they would take good care of the girl. “I am happy to get the custody of the child. Though I wanted to see her all through, I could not meet her as the matter was sub-judice,” said Rashmita, the mother.

Rashmita said her husband Sushanta, who is now in Dubai for work, has also expressed happiness over the outcome of the DNA report. Rashmita and her husband had moved court alleging baby swapping on March 30. “We have nothing to say after the DNA report has proved that she is our daughter,” said Lata Mallick, the child’s grandmother.

In another development, the SCB authorities have strengthened security inside the gynaecology department and have taken some measures to ensure that such allegations are not raised again.

“We have started keeping footprints of all newborn babies, besides putting stickers around their ankles with names of their mothers, to ensure fool-proof identity,” said head of SCB gynaecology department Shyama Kanungo.

Kanungo said the hospital’s security guards had also been instructed to check the discharge papers of all patients and allow them to leave the hospital only after verifying that the sex of the child was mentioned in the medical ticket and discharge papers.