145;AIIMS swapped our baby146;

AIIMS officials have denied the allegation; the hospital has agreed to do a DNA samples testing of the child for free.

According to family members, Premlatha Gupta, 27, was moved to the labour room in AIIMS around midnight. 8220;She gave birth at 3.05 am,8221; husband Ayush Gupta said. 8220;The security guard at labour first shouted that a boy was born; a nurse then came out and said the same.

8220;Finally, a doctor came out of the labour room and confirmed it was a boy.8221;

But, he said, Premlatha8217;s mother Asha Gupta was handed over a girl child on Thursday morning. 8220;I immediately told the nurse that the doctor had said it was a male child,8221; Asha Gupta said. 8220;I even showed her the file 8212;the sex of the child was written as 8216;male8217; on it.8221;

She said the doctor, nurses and all staff members at the ward asked her later to return the file. But 8220;I refused, fearing they would tear the pages,8221; Asha Gupta said.

Gupta said he got the record photocopied, 8220;but the doctors later snatched the original copy as well as the photocopy.8221;

Witnesses at the hospital waiting room, meanwhile, corroborated Ayush8217;s account. Sharad Sharma, whose wife was at the labour room, said, 8220;I was with aunty Asha when they hospital staff announced it was a boy. In fact, I had woken her up.8221;

Iftikar Ahlam, whose sister-in-law was in the labour room, said he saw the form in Premlatha8217;s file, in which the child8217;s sex was written 8216;male8217;.

Meanwhile, Defence Colony police officials said AIIMS has sent the DNA samples for testing and any action will be taken after the report is out.

AIIMS spokesperson Y K Gupta said, 8220;As far as our records go, the child is a female. We think a ward boy must have misinformed the family, or the family might have misheard it. We have sent DNA samples for testing to satisfy the family8217;s fears. The report will be out by Tuesday.8221;

Gupta said AIIMS would perform the tests 8212; it costs Rs 10,000 8212; for free to 8220;satisfy8221; the family.

Ayush, however, is taking no chances and has sent another DNA sample to a Chandigarh testing centre. Based in Saad Nagar, Palam, Gupta owns a grocery store in Tilak Nagar.