THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government finally roused itself and issued directions on Saturday to appraise the Vanchiyoor family court regarding former SFI leader Anupama S Chandran’s claim that a baby given for adoption to an Andhra couple through the court was her child who was “forcibly taken away” from her by her father Peroorkada Jayachandran, a local CPM leader.
The move came following the one-day hunger strike by Anupama in front of the secretariat to protest inaction by the authorities even six months after her first complaint in April and blatant violations by Child Welfare Committee and police. Media spotlight on the issue threatened to snowball into a major political storm.
Won’t sit idle: Anupama
Health, women and child welfare minister Veena George said instructions were given to the government pleader to inform the court regarding Anupama’s claim and her demand that the baby should be given back to her after conducting a DNA test.
“The government is trying to save Anupama from a complex legal battle as the adoption process is in the final stage in the court. Based on her demands, the state adoption agency has filed a petition in the court. The court has also been informed about the department inquiry into her claims,” Veena said, adding that she had spoken to Anupama over phone and the government wants the mother to be reunited with her child.
Meanwhile, Anupama expressed happiness over the government action but said she was not ready to sit idle till she gets her baby back. The hunger strike, she said, was mainly against police officers, government institutions and authorities who refused to address her grievance until she broke the story to the media.
Even as CPM leadership publicly expressed support to Anupama, Anupama said she was not willing to trust the party as none of its leaders whom she had approached in the past one year helped her.
“I am staging this protest as I have no trust in what CPM leaders say now. I want justice and wish nobody else faces this kind of predicament. I want to gather more support for my fight as I’m left with no other option. The government system should provide justice,” Anupama said at the strike venue.
Anupama and her husband Ajith Kumar said they would approach the court and lodge complaints with the Child Welfare Council and Child Welfare Committee that facilitated the adoption of her baby.
Meanwhile, Ajith Kumar’s former wife Nasiya claimed that Anupama had signed the adoption documents on her own. Anupama, however, rejected the claim and said Nasiya was being used as a pawn by her father. “My father had earlier promised her a job if she could successfully resist the divorce with Ajith,” Anupama claimed.
Reacting to the developments, opposition leader V D Satheesan claimed CPM was taking the law into its hands. "There is a law of the land prevailing in this country. CPM is ignoring that and the result is that a party leader's daughter is now protesting in front of the state secretariat asking for her child," Satheesan said.
CPM leader Brinda Karat said what happened to Anupama was extremely unjust and unfair. "Taking the baby away from the mother is a criminal act. I think an investigation is on. We all have to stand with Anupama and ensure that she gets her baby back," Karat said.
Earlier in the day, various youth organisations staged a protest march to the office of the Child Welfare Committee office.
