Aamir Khan to meet Gehlot over female foeticide

[1]

Bollywood actor Aamir Khan is to meet Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday in connection with female foeticide cases highlighted by the TV reality show Satyamev Jayate.

"Aamir had expressed his desire to meet the chief minister on May 9. The chief minister has agreed to meet him at his official residence at 5 p.m. on Wednesday," said a senior official in the chief minister's office.

Khan in his programme Satyamev Jayate, aired on Sunday, had highlighted the story of a sting operation done seven years back by two Jaipur based journalists to expose increasing female foeticide cases in four states - Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

Following the expose, the Rajasthan government had come down heavily on doctors who were involved in sex determination tests and abortions and had started a probe against them. The doctors since then have neither been promoted nor have been cleared of the charges.

Aamir had said in his show that he would appeal to the Rajasthan chief minister to get the cases against the doctors clubbed together and tried in a fast track court. He also appealed the viewers to support his signature campaign.

Gehlot on Tuesday tweeted: "Satyamev Jayate is a great and extra ordinary initiative to root out female foeticide. I am eager to have a fruitful dialogue with Aamir on May 9."

Rajasthan has been in the news for increasing cases of female foeticide and female infanticide.

According to Census 2011, Rajasthan has 883 girls between the age of 0-6 for every 1,000 boys. The child sex ratio in 2001 was 909.

Alarmed over the state's skewed sex ratio, the state government recently announced steps to curb pre-natal sex determination tests at ultrasound clinics.