In a disturbing incident that has left residents shaken, a stray dog was found carrying the body of a newborn child in its jaws near the Parashari cremation ground in Vidisha district of Madhya Pradesh on Sunday morning.

The horrifying sight was noticed by locals who had arrived at the cremation ground to perform the last rites. Shocked onlookers immediately alerted the police, following which officers rushed to the spot and recovered the body.

Ganj Basoda Dehat police station in-charge Manoj Dubey said preliminary examination suggested the newborn was around four to five months old. He explained that there have been repeated instances of infants being illegally buried near cremation grounds in the area.

“Animals such as dogs or badgers often dig into shallow graves. It is possible the body surfaced this way and was picked up by the dog,” Dubey said, adding that the body was later buried following due procedure.

Police have initiated an inquiry to determine the circumstances under which the infant’s body ended up near the cremation ground. Officials said efforts are underway to identify whether the newborn was stillborn, abandoned after birth, or a victim of infanticide.

The incident has revived memories of several similar cases reported across Madhya Pradesh and other parts of the country in recent years. In 2023, residents in Indore reported stray dogs carrying human remains near a dumping site, while in Bhopal and Jabalpur, abandoned newborn bodies were recovered from garbage dumps, drains, and secluded burial spots.

Such incidents have also been reported in states including Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Bihar, often linked to unsafe deliveries, social stigma around unwed pregnancies, or lack of access to medical care and legal adoption channels.

Child rights activists say the recurring nature of these cases points to deeper systemic failures. “These are not isolated incidents. They reflect gaps in healthcare access, awareness about safe surrender options, and enforcement against illegal burials,” an activist said.

As police continue their probe, the incident has cast a grim spotlight on the vulnerability of newborn lives and the urgent need for stronger social and institutional safeguards.