Thrissur home delivery case: Chavakkad police seek nod to exhume newborn’s body

Thrissur: Chavakkad Police on Friday moved an application seeking permission to exhume the body of a newborn who died in January following a home delivery here. Officials said they have submitted the request to the Revenue Divisional Officer for further investigation.

“We have submitted the application to exhume the mortal remains for further investigation to the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO). Since it is a holiday, we are waiting for the approval, and the process will begin following that,” Chavakkad Station House Officer Rajeev told Onmanorama.

A 37-year-old woman, Muhsina, died nearly two months after delivering her baby at home in Chavakkad, allegedly without medical supervision. Her husband, Ibrahim, an acupuncturist, reportedly conducted the delivery using an acupuncture-based method.

Muhsina had remained in critical condition since the delivery in early January. Her family alleged that she had been subjected to prolonged domestic abuse by her husband. According to relatives, Ibrahim did not take her to a hospital despite her being due for delivery and instead conducted the procedure at home. The newborn, a baby girl, died three days later, allegedly due to a lack of proper medical care.

Family members said Muhsina’s condition worsened significantly after childbirth and alleged that Ibrahim prevented her from contacting others. They further claimed that he initially stopped them from shifting her to a hospital. After the intervention, the family managed to admit her to a nearby private hospital, from where she was later shifted to Thrissur Government Medical College Hospital. She died while undergoing treatment on Thursday morning. Relatives said Muhsina had eight pregnancies, including one abortion, and delivered seven children, two of whom died shortly after birth.