Krishnagiri: Wish for baby boy fuels child trafficking, suicide

Krishnagiri: It is yet another case of a baby girl abandoned in the care of a childless couple against the Juvenile Justice Act that has highlighted how 'unwanted' newborn girls change hands through illegal agents. But in this case the worst has happened, with the girl's father committing suicide as he was reportedly upset that his wife delivered the fourth girl child against the father's wish for a baby boy.

On Saturday, social worker P.Janaki was in Chinna Sathanakal village in Rantagiri village panchayat of Denkannikottai taluk, on Panchapalli - Denkannikottai road, 47-km from Hosur in Krishnagiri. She went there after DC had informed the Krishnagiri child welfare officer L.Vincent Sundararajan about a child missing from its mother's custody.

Janaki could not meet the child's mother, identified as 40-year-old K.Valli, who according to the village ASHA worker now stays with her 19-year-old elder daughter Dhanalakshmi in Erode.

The 'ASHA worker' A.Jayalakshmi, when giving details about the child said "Valli, wife of 50-year-old Kempanna, delivered a girl baby on February 14 this year, around 8.36 am in a private hospital at Palacode in Dharmapuri"

She continued: "The child missing incident came to light after the village health nurse visited Valli's house and this was immediately informed to our officials leading to a probe for tracing the child."

Meanwhile, Kempanna committed suicide on February 25, and his body was found hanging from the ceiling of the cattle shed. Valli is the second wife of Kempanna.

But to his disappointment Valli too became mother of three girls, namely, 19-year-old Dhanalakshmi, 14-year-old Latha and 11-year-old Selvi.
Kempanna was happy and waited to get male child when Valli became pregnant again at the age of 40, but she gave birth to the fourth girl child. The couple, before returning to their village, had abandoned the infant in the custody of people known to them.

The Krishnagiri child welfare officer when asked about what action had been taken in Valli's case said, "giving children in illegal adoption is against the Juvenile Justice act.