KOCHI: A woman police officer, who received widespread praise for breast feeding the four-month-old baby of migrant parents, shed light on the plight of the family that had arrived in the state in search of a better life. In a major relief for the six-member family from Bihar, the father, who is also the sole breadwinner, was released from jail on bail, on the intervention of the District Legal Services Authority. He would have been forced to remain in jail for years as an under-trial prisoner as the family lacked the means to provide bail surety.
Arya, a civil officer with Ernakulam Vanitha police station, donned the saviour’s role as she breast-fed the four-month-old whose mother was admitted to Ernakulam General Hospital with post-surgical respiratory complications on November 23. With her husband in jail, the mother and her four children had no one else to turn to. Hospital authorities alerted the police control room on the health condition of the mother and the presence of the children, the eldest of whom are aged two, five, and 13. Cops moved the kids to the women’s police station, where Arya came to the aid of the youngest.
The incident was widely reported and caught the attention of the Ernakulam District Child Welfare Committee. Intervening on the matter, the committee made arrangements for the children and their mother to stay at the Ernakulam Government Mahila Mandir after she was discharged from hospital. The father had been jailed since November 22 on allegations of abusing the second child. This left the family with no clear path forward.
In a desperate attempt, the mother, accompanied by her four children, staged a sit-in in front of Ernakulam sub-jail. She refused to leave until her husband was released. The superintendent of Ernakulam sub-jail contacted Ernakulam DLSA secretary and Sub-Judge Renjith Krishnan. DLSA officials promptly arrived at the jail and assured the woman that her husband would be released as soon as possible. With this reassurance, she ended her protest. Subsequently, the DLSA recommended to the Ernakulam Judicial First Class Magistrate Court 1 for the release of the accused on a self-bond under the National Legal Services Authority’s Under Trial Review Committee (UTRC) scheme.
DLSA lawyer Akhil George filed the application and the accused was released on bail. According to family members, they only complained about the drinking habit of the man and the charges of assault were framed by police.