Malappuram: The police and revenue authorities on Wednesay exhumed the body of Shefna, a 23-year-old woman who died during a water birthing session at an illegal naturopathy maternity clinic at Manjeri on January 9. An autopsy was conducted on the body at the burial ground of Kurukkol Juma Masjid at Kalpakancheri.
As per an order from the revenue divisional officer of Tirur, the tahsildar conducted the inquest procedures while a team of doctors and forensic experts carried out the medical examination. The autopsy was done on the orders of the district collector who initiated a probe into the death after the relatives of the woman refused to file a complaint.
The police have registered a case against the naturopathy practitioner Aabir Hyder and his associates who ran the Sprouts International Naturopathy Maternity Clinic at Eranad Hospital in Manjeri.
“The investigation into the case is progressing. An arrest cannot be made in haste as we have to follow certain guidelines. The charges against the accused will be decided after getting the autopsy report,” said Malappuram DySP Jaleel Thottathil, who is leading the investigation.
The death of the pregnant woman came to light after the district health authorities conducted a raid two days after the incident at the clinic which was found illegally functioning in the hospital. The health department had also found that medical negligence was the cause of the death.
“It was an avoidable death. The health department had warned the same people several times against providing water birthing services without the supervision of authorised medical practitioners who have expertise in handling child births,” deputy DMO Dr. R. Renuka said.
The accused Aabir Hyder had to shut the same clinic in 2016 following the death of three infants during the water birth sessions. The clinic was functioning in a rented house at Valakkulam near Kottakkal then.
