Jaipur:
Ten days after her drunk father bit off parts of her nose and lips, a five-month-old baby died of breathing problems at a government hospital in Jaipur.
On February 1, the baby successfully underwent the first of two major face reconstruction surgeries. She was kept in the intensive care unit as a precautionary measure. The second surgery had been planned for a month later.
"The baby developed respiratory complications last night. She was put on ventilator, but could not recover," said Deepak Kalra, chairperson of the Rajasthan Child Rights Commission that has been following the case.
"We had hoped she would fight back, but it was a complicated case," she said.
The baby's father, allegedly an alcoholic, had attacked her on the night of January 26. The mother filed a police complaint and he was arrested. The woman's furious in-laws threw her out of her home.
Police say they will now charge the father for murder.
The woman and her two daughters are from Bikaner, 400 kms from Jaipur. The family was being looked after by the woman's 70-year-old father and the Rajasthan Child Rights Commission.
The commission has assured it will continue to help the family and push for harshest punishment for the father.
NDTV viewers have already volunteered to help the woman and her daughters financially. "Many people from Bikaner have also set up a trust in the baby's name," Ms Kalra said.