A woman gave birth to a baby boy in an auto on Fern Road on her way to hospital in Bhowanipore on Wednesday morning.

Her husband — an auto driver by profession — had dialled 100 to contact Lalbazar, following which officers of Gariahat police station reached the spot and got the mother and child admitted to a nursing home in Gariahat.

Pritam Sardar, 31, who lives in Kasba, said he took his wife Sarbani to a government hospital in south Calcutta around 9.30pm on Tuesday when she started complaining of pain. Sarbani was given a medicine and asked to have it if the pain was uncontrollable, he said.

“I took my wife back home. But she was in lot of pain even after taking the medicine. I took her to the hospital again around 4am. She was given an injection but the pain continued,” Sardar said.

As his wife was unable to sit or stand, he took her back home so that she could rest comfortably, he said.

Around 9am, the couple decided to go back to the hospital because they thought labour pain had started.

“My mother-in-law, Sarbani, and I were seated behind while one of my friends drove the auto and another sat beside him,” Sardar said. “She gave birth to the boy while we were on Fern Road. For a moment I did not know what to do… then it suddenly struck me… and I dialled 100. I never thought we will get such help from the police during this crisis.”