178 yrs ago, British fined a Rajkot ruler 12,000 for female infanticide

Ahmedabad: 7th November 2012

Those who refuse to learn from history have to pay for it. Gujarat today reels under a skewed ratio of 886 girls per 1,000 boys. But things could have been different. Gujarat and female infanticides go back a long way. In fact, it was 178 years ago — on November 6, 1833 — that the first penalty for female infanticide was awarded in the state when the British fined Rajkot’s ruler, Suraji Jadeja, Rs 12,000 and kept the entire Rajkot taluka attached till he paid up.

Read more