A young Kerala mother, anxious to get back her one-year-old boy separated from her soon after his birth, has expressed anguish over the course of the ongoing police probe and threatened to begin a protest – her second in days -- if things don't improve. The 22-year-old woman, who is the daughter of a CPI (M) leader in the state capital, and her husband Ajith, a former worker of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), have been in the news since last month. They allege that Anupama’s father is responsible for the forced separation of her child, who has since been given up for adoption.
"I am least happy with the way the probe is going on as those at the helm of affairs at the Kerala State Child Welfare Council and Child Welfare Committee (CWC) continue to sit in their posts, which means they can easily thwart the probe. Already what we hear is crucial CCTV visuals have gone missing from these places, which clearly means, those at the helm at these places are playing games. If this is the way it is proceeding, then we will have to think of launching another protest," said Anupama, on November 4.
The couple earlier held a hunger strike in front of the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram demanding action against police officials who sat on the case for months.
The couple approached the media, after their pleas to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, the state police chief, their party leaders and several other agencies went in vain. It was only later that the government and the police began to act.
The Child Welfare Committee had received two children last October, at the time of Anupama’s baby’s birth. A DNA test conducted on one of them had tested negative. The other child has been adopted and Anupama has filed a case with a family court to reclaim the child. The court has stayed the adoption process and asked the CWC to file an affidavit on what exactly had happened in the case and posted it for further hearing for November 20.
The court also pointed out that if required, a DNA test also can be done and came down heavily on the CWC, which admitted that its license for adoption had expired and the process for renewing it is underway.
(With IANS inputs)
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