Tamil Nadu man held for causing wife’s death during unassisted home birth

Husband of the Tirupur woman, who died after a professionally-unassisted home birth went awry, was arrested on Friday for causing her death due to negligence.
Image for representational purpose only.
Image for representational purpose only.

COIMBATORE: Husband of the Tirupur woman, who died after a professionally-unassisted home birth went awry, was arrested on Friday for causing her death due to negligence. Nallur police were acting on a complaint filed by the woman’s father Rajendran. However, as the incident happened with the consent of the deceased woman, police were exploring the legal possibilities of booking a case against the husband and two friends involved. Based on recommendations from the public health department officials, the case of suspicious death was altered to one under Section 304(A) (death caused due to negligence) of the Indian Penal Code, and J Karthikeyan, of Pudupalayam in Tirupur, was arrested.

It was Sunday when K Krithiga (28), a private school teacher, went into labour in her second pregnancy. Details of her pregnancy was not registered in any hospital as the couple had decided to have a natural home birth.

Friends Praveen and Lavanya were tasked with assisting them in delivering the baby. None of the party involved had any experience in home births or had any medical knowledge.All they had to go by were YouTube tutorial videos on the subject, informed the police. Soon after delivering a baby girl, Krithiga fell unconscious. She had lost a lot of blood through the placenta. She was then rushed to the hospital, where she was declared dead on arrival.It was a complaint from Krithiga’s father Rajendran that led to Karthikeyan’s arrest.

Question of choice

During the course of investigation, Karthikeyan told the police that he had not forced his wife to give birth at home and it had been her choice

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The New Indian Express
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