Kerala CPI-M slams police over mishandling 'missing' baby issue

A top CPI-M leader on Friday slammed the Kerala Police for failing to register the case of a young mother looking for her missing baby.

Twenty-two-year-old Anupama, hailing from the state capital city, has been running from pillar to post to get back her child which, she claimed, was snatched by her parents last October, immediately after she gave birth at a hospital here.

Daughter of a local CPI-M leader Jayachandran, Anupama fell in love with the youth wing leader of the party -- Ajith, a Dalit Christian, who was already married.

After Ajith got officially divorced early this year, the two have been living together.


The couple had approached Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, the state police chief, and several others to get the infant back, but to no avail.

However, things started to move only after the incident grabbed media attention last week forcing even the otherwise agile Kerala State Women's Commission to take up the case.

Apparently, agencies like the Child Welfare Committee, Women's Commission and the police all went silent on the complaint as the woman's grandfather was one of the tallest CPI-M leader in the state capital.


On Friday, CPI-M district secretary Anavoor Nagappan said the woman has not met him but spoke to him over the phone.

"This issue is not something which the party can settle. The police should have done a proper job. Now the court has to take a decision and the child should be given back to its mother. In fact it's the right of the child too," said Nagappan.

Reacting to this, Anupama and Ajith said they had gone to the CPI-M district party office but could not meet Nagappan as he was having some Covid issues and submitted their complaint to the office.


"When we spoke to him, he said the party is not here to look after our child's issues. He is lying through his teeth. He lied that this issue was discussed in the party secretariat meeting, but former State Minister P.K. Sreemathi said though she wanted to raise it, but could not," the couple said.

The Kerala Police has registered a case and started a probe.

Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan on Friday said it was unfortunate that the authorities remained silent on the complaint.


"It's the right of a mother to get her child and the allegations raised by the mother against the Police, Child Welfare Committee, Chief Minister, Social Justice Ministry is very serious and it's extremely sad none has acted on the complaint," said Satheesan.

Anupama is a Students' Federation of India activist.

Her parents were not keen on the alliance of their daughter as they were Hindus - IANS