In the controversial issue of a Kerala CPI(M) leader forcefully taking away his daughter’s newborn baby, the Peroorkada police in Thiruvananthapuram has registered a case against him, his wife and four others including other family members. The incident happened over a year back; CPI(M) leader Jayachandran, who is a local committee member of the Peroorkada CPI(M) unit and General Secretary of Thiruvananthapuram Centre of India Trade Unions (CITU), and his family members forcefully took away the newborn baby his daughter Anupama, and allegedly gave up the baby for adoption. While the crime took place a year back, it surfaced recently after Anupama, who was earlier confined by the family, managed to escape her house and speak to the media along with her partner Ajith.
According to Peroorkada police officials, a case has been registered against Jayachandran, his wife Smitha, his elder daughter Anju,her husband Arun, and Jayachandran's friends Ramesh and Anil Kumar. However, no arrest has been made in the case yet, officials said. The accused are booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 343 (Wrongful confinement for three or more days), 361 (Kidnapping from lawful guardianship), 471 (Using as genuine a forged document or electronic record), and 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention).
In 2020 when Anupama became pregnant, she had initially hidden this from her parents as they were opposed to Anupama's relationship with Ajith. While Anupama hails from an Ezhava family, Ajith is a Dalit Christian and he was going through a divorce at the time. However, during the eighth month of pregnancy Anupama revealed that she was pregnant and that she was going with Ajith. But her parents opposed this and allegedly faked that they will take care of the baby and her, in order to make her stay in the house. According to Anupama, her parents later took her to a hospital and tried to force her to undergo an abortion, which she opposed vehemently.
Anupama alleges that three days after she gave birth to the baby, the family took away the baby, giving a fake promise that the baby will be returned once her sister's wedding, which was scheduled to be held, was over. But they never returned the baby. In the following months, Anupama says that she was confined and locked up by the family, not even allowed to contact her partner.
In March this year, Anupama managed to escape from her house. Since then, she and Ajith have been desperately knocking on doors to find their separated baby. The couple allege that though they raised the issue with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and other CPI(M) leaders and the police, there has been no action. Following this, the couple came out to the media, raising the issue.
Meanwhile, reacting to the media, Jayachandran had earlier claimed that he gave the baby up for adoption after getting consent from Anupama. But Anupama has denied Jayachandran's claim saying she was cheated.