A 14-month-old trafficked baby girl separated from her illegal caregivers in Mysuru and admitted to a child care home in Mandya died on Saturday. While the police have registered a case of unnatural death, the exact reason is yet to be ascertained.
The baby is among the 16 children who had been separated from their caregivers after the Mysuru district police busted a child trafficking racket for illegal adoption, involving two maternity homes in the city last year.
Mysuru District Child Protection Officer Nagaraju, who visited Vikasana Children’s Home in Mandya, also a specialised adoption agency, said the authorities there informed him that the child died owing to asphyxiation while she was being fed milk. The child apparently displayed symptoms of epilepsy before turning blue. She was rushed to the hospital, but in vain, Mr. Nagaraju said, quoting the authorities.
However, Chairperson of Mysuru District Child Welfare Committee (CWC), Sheela Khare, told The Hindu that initial reports indicated that the child had either fallen off the bed or rolled over the steps. “But only a formal enquiry can reveal the exact cause of death,” she added. Results of the post-mortem is awaited.
According to records, the baby girl was born on March 13, 2016, and entrusted to the Mysuru CWC on November 11, 2016. The CWC, which is the custodian of the child, has summoned the management and employees of Vikasana for an explanation. “We have called the institution head, coordinator and all the women entrusted with the duty of taking care of the children,” she said. Also, the CWC has decided to shift the other children admitted to Vikasana to another home, which will be identified soon.
After the Mysuru district police unearthed a child trafficking racket, the CWC handed over four children to Bapuji Children’s Home in Mysuru and six children each to Vikasana in Mandya and Janapada Seva Trust in Melkote. Recently, the Mysuru District Child Protection Officer released the photograph of the girl in a bid to trace her biological parents, but did not get any response.
Former member of CWC and advocate, Baburaj, said the child was under the care of a couple in Mysuru. “Since they were childless, they had adopted the baby and were taking care of it very well. The only mistake was they had not legalised the adoption,” he said.
The couple had submitted an application for foster care of the child about six months back. Instead, the CWC put the child under the care of Vikasana, Mandya. “The Juvenile Justice (JJ) Act is very clear and supportive of alternative care methods. The CWC should have promoted it. Institutional care is the last resort as per the Act,” Mr. Baburaj said.
Accusing the CWC of being “insensitive and negligent” in child protection, Mr. Baburaj demanded the resignation of the chairperson and members of the CWC.
