A one-and-half-month-old blind girl, buried under sand on the banks of a stream with a rock kept over the spot, was saved thanks to a few women and a young man in Banka district, around 270km south-east of Patna, on Sunday.

According to sources in Kotoria police station, some women of Rikhiyarajdah village under Maniya panchayat heard the cries of the infant around 4.30pm while returning home from the fields where they had gone to get grass for their cattle. After searching, they found the baby buried under the sand on the banks of the Kuhaka Jor stream with a rock kept over the spot.

“She was crying out of hunger and one of us immediately arranged to breastfeed her and covered the child’s body after tearing the ends of our saris,” said a homemaker from the village.

Amarjit Kumar, a local youth, informed panchayat samiti member Manish Kumar Suman. An ambulance was called and the child was admitted to Kotoria referral hospital on Sunday evening. Dr Dipak Bhagat examined the baby and arranged milk for her.

Chiranjeeb Singh, director, Childline, Banka, visited the referral hospital on Sunday evening with team members and the district child welfare committee was intimated. On Monday, the baby was shifted to Banka sadar hospital where doctors found her condition to be normal.

“It is a miracle. She is normal but we are keeping a watch on her,” said a doctor on duty at the hospital.

Sources said the baby’s parents are not in a position to provide treatment or take care of her owing to poverty.

The cops have already started investigation, said Banka superintendent of police (SP) Chandan Kushwaha.

Sources said the child was born on the day of Karma (a local festival) at Rikhiyarajdah village at the house of her maternal uncle.

“Since she was blind by birth, her parents did not want to take any risk and tried to kill her for saving her from any misery in future and also to get rid of the blind girl child,” said a police source.

The baby’s parents, father Anandi Yadav and mother Sabita, hail from Tasriya village in Kotoria.

“We are probing the incident and we will take action against anyone involved in trying to kill the newborn,” said SP Kushwaha.