Malappuram police arrested YouTuber Sirajudheen on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder on April 8, a day after his wife Asma died during a home delivery at their residence in Kodur. He has been booked under Sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 238 (destroying evidence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The arrest follows disturbing revelations surrounding the death of 35-year-old Asma, who, according to her postmortem report, died of postpartum haemorrhage. Health Minister Veena George said Asma suffered heavy bleeding following childbirth and was left unattended for hours. She was giving birth to her fifth child at home on April 5 when complications arose.
“In this case, they intentionally hid something. When health workers reached their house, they did not reveal many things. That is not because of lack of awareness—it was deliberate,” Veena George said. “Letting mothers or children die like this should be considered homicide,” she added.
The incident came to light only after Sirajudheen attempted to bury her body in Perumbavoor, Ernakulam, early Sunday morning. Locals, suspicious of the circumstances, alerted the police. A postmortem later confirmed that Asma died due to excessive bleeding.
Sirajudheen, who runs a religious YouTube channel called Madavoor Qafila with nearly 65,000 subscribers, allegedly failed to seek medical help even as his wife's condition deteriorated. Health officials also said that he and others in the household withheld crucial information from emergency responders.
Asma’s newborn son is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in Perumbavoor. Her family has filed a formal complaint, accusing Sirajudheen of negligence and willfully endangering her life by avoiding timely medical intervention.
Police have confirmed that Sirajudheen was admitted to a hospital following a sudden illness. The investigation is ongoing.