Haripad Child Death: Four Girls Taken Into Child Welfare Committee Care After Two-Year-Old Boy Dies of Malnutrition

Haripad: The Child Welfare Committee has taken custody of four girls following the death of a two-year-old boy due to malnutrition in Alappuzha. The boy died after his mother gave birth to her seventh child. The mother and her newborn son are currently at Vandanam Medical College Hospital.

Rahul, the two-year-old son of Rajesh and Thara, belonged to Thaimoottil Colony in the fifth ward of Karthikappally panchayat.

As Thara was at Vandanam Medical College Hospital for delivery, Rajesh and their five children, all below the age of 11, were the only ones at home.

On Sunday morning, the youngest child, Rahul, did not wake up. Rajesh took him to Haripad Taluk Hospital, where doctors confirmed his death. According to the postmortem report, the child died due to malnutrition. According to reports, his internal organs had shrunk because of anaemia. The children had been growing up without adequate care, food or attention.

Local residents said Rajesh was an alcoholic. When he brought Thara to Vandanam Medical College Hospital for delivery a few days ago, hospital staff asked him to stay with her, but he reportedly refused and returned home. Thara gave birth on Saturday. One of their other sons had earlier allegedly died after falling.

Thrikunnapuzha police conducted the inquest, and Rahul's body was buried on the premises of Rajesh's brother's house at Vettuveni in Haripad. His siblings are Rudra, Roopa, Revathi and Meenakshi.

Last August, the children and their mother were admitted to Gandhi Bhavan after authorities noticed them lying in the rain. However, they insisted on returning home. They subsequently lived in a rented house at Thaimoottil Colony in Karthikappally panchayat.