On April 5, a news report emerged from the Bharatpur district of Rajasthan that stirred up a controversy in Rajasthan. News agency ANI reported, "Rajasthan: A pregnant woman was allegedly denied admission into Janana Hospital, Bharatpur citing her religion. Her husband says, "hospital staff referred us to a hospital in Jaipur as we are Muslims. We didn't even cross Bharatpur, she delivered the child on the way&the baby died"

Following this, a number of media houses published the report with the headline claiming that a pregnant Muslim woman lost her child in Rajasthan as doctors refuse treatment over her religion. The New Indian Express, Logical Indian and Times of India are to name a few who published their reports on similar lines. According to these reports, a Muslim pregnant woman of Bharatpur in Rajasthan who was in labor was allegedly denied admission to a hospital by the staff over her religion. The husband had claimed that because of the doctor’s religious bias and negligence, they lost their child. 

TNIF even quoted the Irfan Khan, husband of the pregnant woman, saying, "My wife had a delivery scheduled. I reached the district hospital around 8 in the morning. I met a lady of the staff who jot down my name and address. When she got to know my name and that I was a Muslim, she told me that we can't get any medical help there. She asked another doctor to make a reference card for a hospital in Jaipur. I was crying and took my wife in an ambulance. But we had barely got out of the city that my wife had a delivery and my child died in the process. This is all due to the doctor."

Abhisar Sharma also claimed the same in his show on YouTube. You can watch the relevant part at 10 min mark. 

Many social media users including activist Umar Khalid also alleged the same on twitter. Umar wrote, "So bloody shameful. This is the result of anti-Muslim hate that is spread daily from TV channels& BJP IT Cell. And I know there will be more hate under this tweet. The doctor refuses to admit a pregnant woman because she's Muslim, her child dies after delivery."

After this news abuzz social media, it triggered internal politics in Congress. Vishvendra Singh, Tourism Minister of Rajasthan and Congress leader took to Twitter to claim that the pregnant Muslim woman was refused admission in a hospital by one Dr. Muneet Valia “because she was a Muslim.” The minister did not bother waiting for even a preliminary investigative report but instead tried to paint it on the religious discrimination lines.

However, only after a few videos came out another side of the story was revealed.  A video of the husband, who earlier alleged religious discrimination in Rajasthan hospital, came out where he admitted that there was no religious angle.  Hindustan Times Bureau Chief Rakesh Goswami shared a video of Irfan Khan where is heard saying that no one mentioned his religion while referring his wife to another hospital in Jaipur, it was a figment of his imagination. “I thought if I weren’t a Muslim maybe they would have taken my wife in,” he says in the video.

Irfan further adds, "When my wife was being taken to Jaipur in the ambulance, she delivered the child but the baby died. When I saw my wife suffering and my child die, I felt that this has happened to me because of my religious identity. Had I not been a Muslim this would never happen. This was, however, not told to me by any doctor, but was indeed a figment of my imagination, Irfan Khan is heard."

According to another video, the pregnant woman's sister-in-law of Khan had can be heard saying that staff at the Bharatpur hospital referred them to Jaipur but did not abuse or heckle them or discriminated against because they were Muslim.

According to an Indian Express report, the doctor who attended to Khan’s wife Parveena,  Dr Rekha Jharwal said, “She was seven months pregnant and was bleeding excessively. Because of this, the woman had become too weak and the child’s heartbeat couldn’t be heard. After seeing this serious condition, the advice was given to send her to the women’s hospital Jaipur and after her relatives agreed, she was referred following initial treatment. I have not misbehaved with the woman and her relatives and neither were they refused treatment owing to them being Muslim. ”

Later on, it was revealed that the patient was anemic & undergoing her seventh pregnancy at the age of 32. The patient was referred to a better hospital to save the 7th pregnancy as the attending doctor clearly did not have the resources to attend such a critical case. Journalist Soumyadipta took to Twitter to break down the referral slip of the pregnant lady.

As per the referral slip, the patient was suffering from Antepartum Haemorrhage (APH), i.e. bleeding prior to delivery. She was anemic and on her 7th pregnancy. Hence, owing to the complications of the case, she was referred to the bigger hospital in Jaipur since the clinic was not equipped to handle the complicated case.

Due to these complications, the pregnant woman was referred to Jaipur by the doctors at Bharatpur and while she was on her way in an ambulance, she delivered the baby. The newborn died soon after.

In conclusion, the claim that a Muslim woman in Rajasthan was denied treatment because of religion is false. The woman was referred to a better hospital with better facilities as it was a complicated case.