In a recent, wife of a migrant labourer, decided to risk the 1,000km march from Nashik to Satna in the ninth month of pregnancy. On May 5, she gave birth to a baby on the roadside, rested for an hour and then marched on for the remaining journey.
As per reports, a group of 16 had set out on a journey and on the way they became 17 when the mother gave birth on a roadside.
When the group walked into Bijasan town on the home side of the Maharashtra-MP border on Saturday, a police inspector noticed the newborn in her arms and was “moved beyond words”.
“I saw a woman holding a newborn and went to check if she needed assistance,” said Bijasan police check-post incharge Kavita Kanesh. She was stunned to learn that Shakuntala had delivered on Agra Mumbai national highway, assisted by four of her women companions.
The police team stood speechless as Shakuntala narrated her ordeal. She had covered 70km on foot by the time she gave birth, and walked almost 160km after it, cradling the baby in her arms.
At Bijasan, police personnel gave food and water to the group, and footwear for the barefoot kids. “Shakuntala’s two-year-old daughter jumped around in her new chappals,” Kanesh said.
However, the administration made arrangements to send the family home.
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