NHRC issues notice to Telangana government over death of Odisha woman hired for surrogacy
BHUBANESWAR, NOV 29 : The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Friday issued a notice to the Telangana government regarding the death of a 25-year-old woman from Odisha, who had been hired for surrogacy.
The woman was found dead under mysterious circumstances after reportedly falling from the ninth floor of a housing complex in the Raidurgam area of Hyderabad on Wednesday.
Taking suo motu cognisance of a media report, the apex human rights panel has directed the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police (DGP) of Telangana to submit a detailed report, including the status of the FIR registered in the matter, within two weeks.
The NHRC noted that the contents of the media report, if true, raise serious concerns about the violation of the victim’s human rights. “The Commission would also like to know from the police authorities if there were any complaints from the people regarding harassment of women in the name of surrogacy in the state,” the NHRC order stated.
According to the proceedings of the Commission, the woman was reportedly brought to Hyderabad by middlemen under a surrogacy deal worth Rs 10 lakh.
She and her husband were accommodated in separate flats within the same housing complex where the alleged client, a real estate businessman, and his wife were residing.
Sources revealed that the businessman, who was childless, had hired the woman as a surrogate mother, with the surrogacy process scheduled to begin next month. However, the woman had reportedly complained of sexual harassment by the businessman and expressed her desire to escape.
She is said to have contacted her husband over the phone, informing him that she no longer wanted to stay there and that she would end her life due to the harassment.
The circumstances surrounding her death remain unclear. Police discovered two sarees and a chunri tied together and hanging loose from a rod on the balcony railing. They are investigating whether this was an attempt to escape that tragically turned fatal or a case of suicide.
-The New Indian Express
