An Indian man, Hitesh Kumar Sirohi, discovered a newborn girl buried alive in a pot at a cemetery, while burying his own deceased infant daughter, the BBC reported.

The incident happened on Oct. 10, in the city of Bareilly, within the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

He rescued the infant, fed her milk, and had her rushed to the district's hospital, Indian media The Hindu and NDTV further reported.

The baby was then admitted to a paediatric hospital with better facilities on Oct. 13, and currently remains in critical condition as a result of septicaemia (blood poisoning) and a low platelet count.

Baby was found about 90cm below ground

BBC reported that the infant was found about 90cm below ground.

The superintendent of the police for Bareilly, Abhinandan Singh, stated that the discovery was made while the pit for Sirohi's own deceased daughter was being dug.

"When they had dug about three feet (90cm) below the ground, their shovel hit the earthen pot which broke and they could hear a baby crying.

When they pulled out the pot, they found a baby in it."

NDTV further reported that the police have since launched a probe to ascertain the identities of the people who buried the infant, suspected to be the girl's parents.

How long the baby was buried is unclear

It is unclear how long the baby was buried.

The chief paediatrician of the district hospital estimated that the baby could have been buried for two to three hours, and might only have survived another hour or two if she had not been rescued.

But Ravi Khanna, the doctor in charge of the paediatric hospital that the child was moved to, placed the figure at three to four days.

Ravi attributed the baby's survival to brown fat in her body:

"She survived on her brown fat. Babies are born with fat on their abdomen, thigh and cheek and they can survive on it in an emergency for some time. Once she exhausted that, she shrivelled up."

Rescuer's own child died from premature birth

As for Sirohi himself, Indian media further reported that the burial of his own child was due to her death from a premature childbirth.

Abhinandan stated that Sirohi's own wife was admitted to hospital on Oct. 9.

However, the baby died a few minutes after birth on Oct. 10.

This resulted in Sirohi taking the body of his child to the cemetery on the evening of the same day.

Politician offers to adopt abandoned baby

In the meantime, local state politician, Rajesh Kumar Mishra from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has offered to adopt the baby, Hindustan Times reported.

Calling the child's survival a "miracle", he told the BBC that it was his intention to adopt the child once she recovers.

He also named her "Sita", and said that it was his "duty" to take care of her.

The politician also criticised the girl's parents for allegedly abandoning her and said that what they had done was "not right".

A suspected case of female infanticide?

Aljazeera further reported that the incident is also suspected to be a case of female infanticide.

According to Aljazeera, in certain parts of India, sons are prized over daughters as they can inherit property and continue the family name.

Meanwhile daughters are seen as a burden, as families have to pay a dowry when they marry.

As of 2015-17, the country's gender ratio stands at 896 females per 1,000 males, signifying a downward trend from 898 per 1,000 in 2014-16, and 900 per 1,000 in 2013-15.

Top photo is a stock photo of a premature baby. Photo credit: Hush Naidoo via Unsplash