A newborn baby girl who was buried underground for over 5 hours was rescued by the Chavakachcheri area police and Grama Niladari yesterday (23). Speaking exclusively with The Morning today (24), Police Spokesperson SSP Nihal Thalduwa said that the newborn was extremely lucky to have survived the rigid weather conditions without air for over 5 hours. "This baby girl will someday grow up to be a historical figure. She was buried by her own mother and grandmother as an attempt to get rid of the infant. The mother was just 18 years old and was involved with a boy her age in the area. These type of affairs are frowned upon in the Jaffna area and amongst conservative Tamil communities. When the 18 year old conceived, the father of the child has abandoned the mother and she was helpless. The grandmother of the infant had assisted the mother in disposing the newborn in a grave that was dug behind their home," he said. Thalduwa went on to say that an anonymous source had informed the area Grama Niladari, who immediately informed the area Police and went to the home to inspect the area. "The grama niladari is very young and had a keen mind. When he turned up at the home, he immediately started walking around the garden and noticed a freshly covered hole. By this time, the police had arrived as well. The grama niladari and police immediately started digging, and they found the infant inside a gunny bag. The infant was cold to the touch, but her eyes were twitching. The infant was immediately transferred to the district hospital," said Thalduwa. Thalduwa further confirmed that the infant was in good health and an active baby. "We must understand the sad state of affairs in Jaffna. Men do not want to marry women if they do not have Gold. When this happens, girls who come from poor families try and get involved with men and engage in physical intimacy with hopes that the man will accept her and marry her. Whereas, these men tend to use the women and when it comes to the point of marriage, they expect huge amounts of Gold which the girls family cannot afford. Then, the girls are left helpless and end up in a position where they are not virgins, and are discarded from society and unable to re-marry, or they end up pregnant," Thalduwa concluded.