The civil surgeon’s office in Palghar district has sent a detailed letter to the State Family Welfare Bureau, Pune, which had sought an in-depth explanation of the tragic death of a deaf-and-mute 20-year-old tribal woman. The Family Welfare Bureau wrote to the civil surgeon after mid-day published a cover-page story on the matter on Saturday, April 16. The pregnant woman, from Jawhar taluka, was rushed from one hospital to another, but neither the child nor the woman lived.

Dr Sanjay Bodade, civil surgeon of Palghar district, confirmed to mid-day, “We received the letter from the health department, Pune, on Saturday and I have sent a detailed reply to the letter. It’s a normal procedure.” On the night of April 10, the woman developed severe pain and her family rushed her to Palghar Rural Hospital, but it didn’t have a C-section surgery facility. She was referred to Cottage Hospital in Dahanu.