KOCHI: The death of 35-year-old Asma hours after giving birth at home in Malappuram on April 5 had shocked Kerala and sparked calls for action against the rising menace of homebirths.
The police swung into action, arresting Asma’s husband Sirajuddin. The government instructed all district medical officers to slap culpable homicide charges on families if women died during delivery at home.
Amid all this, a bigger concern lingered. Who would look after the baby? This was addressed on Friday, after the Ernakulam Child Welfare Committee (CWC) handed the boy, now 20 days old, to his paternal aunt and her husband after being discharged from the Ernakulam Medical College Hospital (MCH).
“The child was under the protection of the Ernakulam CWC for the past 20 days. As his father is in jail, we received an application from his paternal aunt and husband seeking nod to protect him.
The Alappuzha CWC enquired about the family’s background to ensure the child would be safe with them. When the baby was discharged from the hospital, we handed him over to the family,” an Ernakulam CWC official told TNIE.
After Asma’s death at her rented house in Chittiparamba on April 5, the baby — the couple’s fifth child — was brought home with her body to Perumbavoor. Upon noticing he had trouble breathing, neighbours took him to a local hospital. From there, he was shifted to the MCH.