By IANS
Bhubaneswar : Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Saturday ordered police to probe into the recent incidents of female foeticide in the state's Nayagarh district, officials said.
On July 14, seven female foetuses, about eight months old, were found in polythene packets at Pratapgarh cave near Duburi in Nayagarh district, some 100 km from here, by local residents.
Police has registered a case in this connection, but no arrest has been made so far.
A group of social activists had visited the area early this week and had demanded a high-level probe into the incident.
They alleged that many unregistered private nursing homes and clinics were involved in the crime.
"They conduct ultrasound tests to determine the sex of a foetus, after which doctors perform an abortion if it is found to be a female," child rights activist Anuradha Mohanty told IANS.
India banned the practice of prenatal sex selection and selective abortion more than a decade ago.
However, it remains a common practice in Orissa and in several parts of the country that claims about half a million female lives each year, Mohanty said.