An adoption row in Kerala reads like a horror movie: A newborn baby snatched from its mother and illegally given away. What makes it even more shocking: All the protagonists—including the villains—are well-educated communists connected to the ruling party. And as always in India, this is a tale about caste and gender—though for a change, it has a happy ending.
The mother: Anupama S Chandran is a 22-year old physics graduate—who was the first woman to head the students' union of the ruling party Communist Party of India (Marxist). She belongs to an upper caste family.
The father: Ajith Kumar Baby works as public relations officer at a hospital—and was the former leader of the party’s youth wing. The 34-year old Dalit Christian met Anupama while they worked for the CPI(M). They began living together three years ago—although Ajith was separated but still not divorced from his wife.
The villain: PS Jayachandran is Anupama’s father and a local CPI(M) leader. His father was also a senior functionary in the party. Jayachandran currently works as a bank manager.
Here’s how this crime unfolded:
Quote to note: When confronted with his actions later on television, Jayachandran said:
“When something like this happens in our home, how do we handle it?... She had no wherewithal to protect the child. We can't do it either. Anupama says the baby's father is a man who has a wife. How can I leave my daughter and her child with him?"
The couple’s search for their missing baby is an eye-opening account of how government agencies and officials conspired in this illegal “adoption.”
The law: Indian law has clear guidelines for a child born outside wedlock. It stipulates that only the mother can surrender the child. If the mother is a minor, then a Deed of Surrender has to be signed by an accompanying adult as the witness. And the parent has to be provided counselling so she truly understands the ramifications of her decision. None of these procedures were followed in Anupama’s case.
The police investigation: The couple first tried to file a police complaint—but they refused to register it. Instead, they claimed to be investigating her parents’ complaint which claimed Anupama was “missing.” Even a meeting with the state police chief proved futile. Then the police turned around and confronted her with a consent letter produced by her father:
“The consent letter, allegedly signed by her, said that Anupama was not equipped to look after the child and was voluntarily handing him over. Anupama says the letter dates back to October 15, 2020, when her parents and two others asked her to sign on a stamp paper. When Anupama insisted on reading the document before signing it, she was hit and threatened with grievous injury to the child in her womb and her signatures were forcibly taken.”
Point to note: The couple also approached a variety of CPI(M) leaders—including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. An audio clip of her conversation with one of these leaders reveals that Vijayan knew what was going on—and refused to take action precisely because Jayachandran is a party member: “He (CM) said let them (the family) handle it themselves and that we (the party) don't have any role in it.”
Locating the baby: Anupama finally figured out where her baby was in August—thanks to a police officer. The child had been handed over by her father to the state’s ‘Ammathottil’ electronic cradle—instituted to provide “better life conditions for the destitute, abandoned and relinquished children.” When they rushed to the state-supported adoption agency, they were told the child had already been given away—and there was no point contesting the adoption.
Here she is holding a vigil outside the adoption agency:
Point to note: It now appears that Jayachandran secretly handed the child over to this agency—Council for Child Welfare—with the collusion of its general secretary, who registered the handover late at night (i.e. after hours). The CWC denies all wrongdoing.
The happy ending: In the end, the couple went to the media to share their story—which sparked immediate outrage and hasty government action. The police registered cases against Anupama’s parents, sister and brother-in-law—for wrongful confinement, kidnapping and forgery. After a DNA test confirmed their claims, the court yesterday reunited the baby—who had been in foster care—with his parents in the chamber of the judge.
The bottomline: is best summed up by Anupama’s question: “Isn't it my right to choose with whom I should live and have a child?”
The Hindu has a detailed account of Anupama’s ordeal, while BBC News’ version is more colourful. The News Minute dissects Kerala’s medieval mindset on unwed mothers. Manorama Online reminds us that this is as great a tragedy for the Andhra couple who fostered the baby.
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