Mukkam: Kerala police have arrested a Kozhikode native, Aboobacker Siddique, for allegedly denying breast milk to his newborn for over 24 hours based on religious beliefs.
Police have also arrested a religious preacher, Hydrose Thangal, who reportedly instructed Aboobacker to not to feed the baby until five prayers were called after its birth.
Acting on a petition filed by a nurse of the EMS Cooperative Hospital in Mukkam, Chakkanakkandi Aboobacker, 31, of Omassery, near here, and his wife Hafsath were booked under Section 75 and 87 of the Juvenile Justice Act (Care and Protection of Children).
Earlier, the police had refused to take suo motu cognizance of the incident citing technicalities.
The issue surfaced on Wednesday afternoon after the father of the newborn prevented the hospital staff from feeding the baby on grounds of religious beliefs.
The Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights had instructed the police to initiate action against the couple for violation of child rights.
The commission also ordered the police officials concerned and the District Child Protection Officer to submit a comprehensive report on the incident.
Aboobacker reportedly prevented his wife from breastfeeding after she gave birth to the baby boy around 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday. He claimed that he had been advised by a Muslim religious preacher not to feed the baby until five prayers were called after its birth.
Though the hospital authorities tried hard to enlighten Aboobacker on the importance of breastfeeding the baby soon after the delivery, he stood firm by his ground, saying that the baby could be fed the ‘holy water’ provided by the preacher.
A team led by Indian Medical Association unit president Dr. C. K. Shaji had also tried to convince Aboobacker of the serious health consequences of denying breast milk to the infant, but to no avail.
Fearing that the infant’s health would go worse, the hospital authorities informed the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights and the police about the issue.
Following Kozhikode district collector N. Prasanth’s order to the Thamarassery DySP to probe and file a report on the incident, a team of police personnel, including a female cop, had visited Aboobacker’s residence in Omassery and requested him to reconsider his decision. But he paid no heed to their pleas as the child was breastfed only on Thursday afternoon, about 24 hours after birth.