How much longer should Suresh and Remya wait for justice? This couple in Thiruvananthapuram has been fighting a battle to get justice for their daughter Rudra who passed away last year.
Suresh has been resorting to unusual methods of protest to get justice for almost a year now. This time he decided to carry a cross only hoping that somebody will come forward to help him get justice for his daughter Rudra.
Their younger daughter Rudra passed away on July 10, 2016 at SAT hospital in the city. Four-and-half month-old Rudra had been admitted there since June 23.
Suresh and Ramya allege it was a case of medical negligence and the couple have been fighting a battle against all odds.
“I walked carrying the cross on my back. We are not influential and we need to do something different to get noticed. We have been protesting for 273 days now. We have starved and waited for several hours at Secretariat to meet CM Pinarayi Vijayan. Instead of helping us the secretariat control room has slapped 17 cases against me. I don’t even understand why. It’s been a year now and we are still left in the darkness,” Suresh told TNM.
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Suresh has been protesting with his wife and his elder daughter Durga who is now 3 years old. He recalls how a case was filed accusing him of denying Durga education.
“A year ago I was surprised to find out that there was a case filed against me which said I am denying education to Durga. I was accused of using her for publicity and not educating her. Durga was 2 years old then. How am I denying education to a 2-year-old? I don’t understand”, he says.
Suresh had protested piercing his cheeks couple of weeks back. He is hopeful and is ready to fight as long as it takes him to get justice for his little girl.
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The doctors and the hospital authorities claimed that Rudra died due to malnutrition. Her post mortem report said that the death was due to pneumonia.
Rudra’s mother Remya recalled how CM Pinarayi Vijayan promised to resolve the issue in 10 days, a year ago.
“We met the CM a year ago in 2016. He promised that he will do the needful in 10 days. It’s been a year now and we are still fighting our battle, alone. We haven’t even got to meet him (the CM) again. We are sometimes threatened for continuing protest outside secretariat. A police officer called Shafi. B.M SI, Cantonment PS, asked us to stop protesting and even abused us in bad language”, said Remya.
The couple also allege that the hospital offered them a handsome amount to end the fight.
“The hospital authorities offered us a settlement. We denied the offer, we don’t need the money. We need justice. No parents should go through what we have. There should not be another Rudra”, said Remya.
(All photographs by Sreekesh Raveendran Nair)