New Delhi (dpa) – A 2-year-old girl, who police suspect was almost battered to death by a teenage girl, is no longer in the intensive care unit of an Indian hospital following 45 days of emergency treatment, Indian broadcaster NDTV reported Saturday. Falak had been in a coma but was now recovering in the children's ward of New Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences. Her plight has triggered outrage across India, casting the spotlight once again on rampant cases of discrimination towards girls in India's north-western state of Rajasthan. Police have made 10 arrests after uncovering a human trafficking ring while investigating the case. Falak was brought to the hospital with broken limbs and serious head injuries on January 18 by a 15-year-old girl, who police hold responsible for the abuse. The teenager, now in a juvenile home, had been a sexual abuse victim and had in turn abused the child in anger and frustration, police said. The baby had changed hands several times after she was abandoned by her biological mother. Statistics on trafficking in India vary. Over 117,000 children were reported missing between 2008 and 2010, according to child rights organization, Bachpan Bachao Andolan. Of these, more than 41,500 still remain unaccounted for. Doctors conducted five major surgeries to keep Falak alive but fear she may have suffered permanent brain damage. Moved by her plight, many Indians have offered to adopt her. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/pDtVv Tags: Battered, India, Infant, Toddler Section: South Asia
