A young woman lay dead by railway tracks and her infant son latched on to her breast, trying to feed, in gut-wrenching images that have emerged from Madhya Pradesh and have been widely shared.

Early on Wednesday morning, the woman’s body was spotted by people in Damoh, around 250 km from state capital Bhopal. Her starving one-year-old son was clinging to her, weeping, trying to nudge her awake. He also nibbled on a biscuit, given perhaps by his mother.
The scene was filmed and posted on social media by a  few people at the spot.

The police suspect the woman may have fallen off a train or was hit. She had a head wound. The baby was saved because his mother held him, it is believed. According to officials, she may have been conscious for a while after being hit, and tried to feed her son.

When the police and officials took away the mother, the child’s wailing left them shaken to the core.

Another layer was added to the unspeakable tragedy when the two were taken to a government hospital. Officials allegedly refused to take in the child as there was no one to pay Rs. 10 for admission. A ward boy finally fished out the money to get the process started.

The infant is at a children’s home. Officials are trying to search for any family member or relative who may show up.

The only clue that the police have in their attempts at identifying the woman is a purse that was found near her.