RAIPUR: In a heart-stopping incident that villagers are calling a miracle, a 20-day-old newborn girl survived after being snatched from her mother’s arms by a monkey and thrown into an open well in Sevni village of Chhattisgarh’s Janjgir–Champa district. The dramatic sequence unfolded on Wednesday as the baby’s mother, Sunita Rathore, was sitting on the porch of her house with her infant. According to the family, four to five monkeys were jumping on a nearby terrace when one suddenly lunged, grabbed the newborn and ran onto the rooftop, sending shockwaves through the neighbourhood. As terrified relatives raised an alarm and burst firecrackers to scare the animal away, the monkey flung the baby into a neighbouring open well before fleeing. Villagers rushed to the spot and, acting swiftly, lowered a bucket into the well. Within minutes, the infant was pulled out. The baby had swallowed a considerable amount of water but, in a twist of fate, did not sink completely. Her father, Arvind Rathore, believes the diaper she was wearing helped her stay afloat for those crucial moments until she was rescued. What followed was another stroke of extraordinary luck. Rajeshwari Rathore, a nurse posted at the Sargawan primary health centre, happened to be in the village to attend a Bhagwat Katha. She rushed to the scene, cleared water from the baby’s mouth, administered CPR and warmed her body. Moments later, the newborn began crying — a sound that confirmed she had started breathing again. The infant was first taken to the district hospital and later shifted to the ICU of a private hospital, where doctors said her condition is stable and improving. Baby’s father Arvind Rathore, who works at a power plant and was on duty when the incident occurred, credited his daughter’s survival to the nurse’s timely intervention and sheer chance. “If my daughter is alive today, it is because a nurse was present at that exact moment — and because of the diaper she was wearing,” he said. He also raised concern over the increasing presence of wild animals in rural residential areas, drawn by orchards and crops, warning that such encounters are putting children and families at growing risk.
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