Barabanki: A shocking case of alleged forced abortion and medical negligence has emerged from Barabanki district, where a pregnant woman reportedly died after being compelled to terminate her pregnancy upon learning that she was carrying a female fetus. Her brother has accused her in-laws of murder and filed a petition in court after police failed to take action. Following the court’s directive, a case has now been registered against the accused.
According to the complaint, Neeraj Mishra, a resident of Balla Saikheda village under the Lonikatra police station area, stated that his sister Sonia alias Pragya Mishra was married in 2017 to Neeraj Tiwari, a resident of Jabrauli village under Mohanlalganj police station in Lucknow. The couple had two daughters. Mishra alleged that after the births, Sonia was continuously harassed and assaulted by her husband and in-laws for not bearing a male child.
When Sonia became pregnant for the third time, a sex determination test—illegal under Indian law—reportedly revealed that she was expecting another girl. Following this, her husband and his family allegedly forced her to undergo an abortion at Upkar Hospital in Mohanlalganj, Lucknow. Her health deteriorated severely after the procedure.
Instead of providing her immediate and proper treatment, the family allegedly admitted her to Vidya Hospital, Mohanlalganj, where she died on September 6, 2025, during treatment. Neeraj Mishra claimed that his sister’s death was a direct result of the infection caused during the abortion and the deliberate negligence of both her in-laws and the hospital staff.
He further alleged that Meenu, a female staff member at Upkar Hospital, confessed to conducting the abortion under pressure from the woman’s in-laws.
After police reportedly ignored repeated complaints, the bereaved brother approached the court, which ordered the registration of a case under charges of murder and criminal negligence.
Authorities have begun an investigation into the allegations, which have once again raised questions about illegal sex determination tests, female foeticide, and domestic violence against women in Uttar Pradesh.
