Kerala Adoption Row: Anupama Reunited With Baby Boy
A mother's year-long search for her missing baby in India came to an end when a court handed over the child to her.
A mother and child have a very strong bond. No matter what happens this bond can never be broken. A mother will do anything for her child. There is one story about a mother from Kerala whose child was taken away from her but she fought tooth and nail to get her child back. Let me tell you about it. Anupama S Chandran, 22, is the daughter of CPI(M) local leader PS Jayachandran, and Smitha James who is also a party member in Thiruvananthapuram. Anupama’s name was in consideration as a candidate for their local ward in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation Council. The family was from a dominant caste. Anupama had an affair with a man named Ajith Kumar who was also a local leader for the CPI(M) and he was from an underprivileged caste. They were living together for 3 years. However Kumar was already married to a woman named Nazia but they had separated. In August 2020 Anupama’s family comes to know that Anupama is pregnant with Ajith Kumar’s child. Kumar was removed from the CPI(M). On 19 October 2020, Anupama gave birth to the baby boy.
When Anupama was discharged from the hospital, her parents arrived to take her and the child home. They told her she would stay at a friend's place and return home after the marriage of Anupama's sister, which was in February 2021. They said they didn't want inquisitive guests asking about a new-born in the house. Now her family was very unhappy with the baby. They were strong CPI(M) leaders and had a big name in the society. Since the baby was born out of wedlock, the family wanted to cover up the matter and give the child away. The baby was taken away by her father and other relatives. Anupama’s relatives had promised her that the baby would be brought back once her elder sister got married. The family placed the child in ‘Ammathottil’, the electronic cradle in front of the Kerala State Sisu Kshema Samithi (Kerala State Council for Child Welfare (KSCCW)) headquarters at Thycaud. The baby was put up for adoption by the KSCCW.
Anupama was completely unaware about this. She thought once her elder sister got married her family would return the baby to her.
Then in January 2021 Ajith Kumar divorced his wife Nazia and in February 2021 Anupama’s elder sister got married. She was removed from the CPI(M) party. She was very happy and was waiting for her family to give the child back so she can live with Ajith and be a happy family but she realised the family had given the child away. At the hospital, they found that their child's birth certificate contained the name of an unknown man - not Ajith - as the father. The police initially refused to register their complaint of a missing baby. Then in March Anupama and Ajith Kumar filed a complaint saying their baby was allegedly kidnapped from her by close family members, including her parents. However, her father Jayachandran said he handed over the baby to the KSCCW with Anupama’s consent as she was not capable of taking care of the baby at that time. He added that they had obtained a consent letter, attested by the notary, from her before taking the child.
Anupama and Ajith demand the KSCCW to find her baby. They even filed a complaint with the Deputy Commissioner of Police. March, April & May were difficult months for the couple. They ran from pillar to post and filed multiple complaints. In July the baby was given to a couple in Andhra Pradesh temporarily. Anupama was not aware of this. The couple went on news channels and told their story. There was a lot of anger. Finally the police registered a case against Anupama’s relatives and parents. Anupama and Ajith Kumar start indefinite Satyagraha in front of the KSCCW. Then in November the court ordered that the child be brought back to Thiruvananthapuram. A DNA test was performed. It matches Anupama & Ajith and the child was handed back to her. After all this her parents feel they did nothing wrong.
