Kerala: Child sale case gathers dust
Though Suma had wanted an abortion, the gynaecologist allegedly arranged a client to buy the baby.
ALAPPUZHA: A case of child sale registered by the district Childline and reported to the Child Welfare Committee in 2014 is gathering dust. Suma of Puthiyapura Nikarthu, Neelimagalam, Pattanakkad near Cherthala, the mother, had sold her new-born child to a client for Rs 8,000 three days after she gave birth to the child at Poochackal Mission Centre on September 6, 2013. Though Suma had wanted an abortion, the gynaecologist allegedly arranged a client to buy the baby.
The delivery was recorded in the hospital as registration number 3484/13 and the birth was registered with Panavally grama panchayat by the hospital. Suma was legally married to Prasad from Pattanakad and they had three sons. After seven years of married life, Suma broke with Prasad and began to live with Thangaraj, a friend of her husband. In that relationship, she gave birth to a girl and the boy whom she sold to the client. However, she does not know his name or address.
Her daughter and two sons are living with her. One of the three sons born to Prasad is now at the Home For Mentally Deficient Children (HMDC), Kozhikode.
Suma had recently requested the CWC to take custody of her two sons as their life with the step-father was becoming miserable.
The Childline authorities told DC that they had reported the case to the CWC after a detailed probe. Mr K. K. Joseph, member, CWC, said that the case would be taken up immediately and that the culprits would be brought to book.