Born on train, girl is named Mamata Banerjee

Karnal: A girl child born on a moving train has been named Mamata Banerjee! That's right, after the railway minister.

The girl was delivered on board the Barauni Express train between Kurukshetra and Karnal stations Saturday, with a handful of women travelling on coach S-9 volunteering to help in the delivery of the child in the absence of any medical aid on board.

"We have decided to name the child Mamta Banerjee since she was born on the moving train. We are very happy at her birth," Dayanand, father-in-law of Aarti, who was travelling with her on the train, said Monday.

Railway police officials here said Aarti developed labour pains when the train was crossing the town of Kurukshetra, 110 km from Chandigarh.

The railway police officials flashed a message to the next station, Karnal, where an ambulance was kept ready to attend to the medical emergency.

However, the child was delivered on board the train itself with the help of women co-passengers. The mother and the infant were then taken in an ambulance to the Karnal civil hospital for treatment.

"The mother and child are doing well," Kiran Bala, a medical attendant at the hospital, said.

The newborn is the third daughter born to Aarti, Dayanand said.