Nandini Rajan, the mother of a three-year-old boy who died reportedly following complications of swallowing coins, called off her 35-day-long protest demanding justice, in the wake of the District Collector’s prohibitory orders that kicked in on Saturday and after the Scheduled Caste (SC) Development Department offered her a temporary job, besides legal, medical, and educational support.
Ms. Rajan, belonging to the SC community, suspended the protest, albeit temporarily, after SC Development Department Deputy Director Joseph John met her at the protest venue in the presence of Aluva MLA Anwar Sadat on Friday evening.
The child had died on the night of August 2 even though he was rushed to three different hospitals — Aluva Taluk Hospital, Ernakulam General Hospital, and Alapuzha Medical College — during the course of the day.
Ms. Rajan started her indefinite dawn-to-dusk strike in front of the Aluva Taluk Hospital in a show of lack of faith in the forensic report, which attributed the death to an acute asthmatic condition called status asthmaticus and not necessarily due to the swallowed coins. Forensic experts had also cited the child’s history of pneumonia, though Ms. Rajan shot it down, claiming that it was a long time ago, and that at the time of the death, the child was fit as a fiddle and alleged medical negligence as the reason for the death.
“I will resume my protest, if need be, and in the meantime, I will launch a legal fight for justice. It is now two months since my baby died, and I want an independent medical board to find the truth behind it,” said Ms. Rajan who was indisposed for a while following the rigours of the protest.
She is about to file a writ petition in the High Court next week. Her lawyer Sunil C. Kuttappan had applied for relevant documents, including forensic and post-mortem reports, from the Revenue Divisional Officer, Fort Kochi.
“The writ will challenge the post-mortem report and pray for an independent medical board while pointing out many slip-ups in offering timely health care,” said Mr. Kuttappan.
The SC Development Department has offered to bear the legal expenses if Ms. Rajan is unsatisfied with the findings of the medical board formed by the Health Department. SC Department Director P.I. Sreevidya has assured to intervene on behalf of the aggrieved to include her name in the list of beneficiaries under the LIFE Mission for the homeless.
“The department will bear her already incurred and future medical expenses and give her a temporary job at our exam training centre at Aluva, since we are not authorised to make permanent postings. She could also avail of the training courses at the centre in pursuit of a permanent job,” said Mr. John.