Aboobacker SidheequeKozhikode: A man, who was booked for preventing his wife from breastfeeding their newborn son for over 24 hours citing religious beliefs, has tendered an apology over the incident.
Aboobacker Sidheeque, a Kozhikode native, admitted his mistake in a Facebook post on Saturday, saying he was misled by some people.
"Does any father wish to starve his kid to death? The baby was fed with honey and water first. I objected to only breastfeeding. The boy is healthy as he was fed honey. However, I became aware of the ill-effects of not being breastfed only later. It was my superstitions that made the matter worse. I apologize," he wrote on Facebook.
The post was not available on Facebook by Saturday evening. It is not clear whether Sidheeque removed it or changed its privacy settings.
Earlier, the police had arrested Sidheeque and a religious preacher, Hydrose Thangal, in connection with the incident.
Sidheeque's wife had given birth to a baby boy at a hospital in Mukkam, about 30 km from Kozhikode around 2 pm on Wednesday and the hospital authorities asked the mother to breastfeed her baby. However, Sidheeque prevented her from breastfeeding saying the baby cannot be breastfed until five calls for prayer are over after the birth.
He did not yield to the doctors' request that the baby may suffer from diseases, including epilepsy, if not breastfed immediately after birth.
Accordingly, the baby was breastfed only Thursday noon. Sidheeque's adamant stance invited flak from several corners, including those belonging to his religion.
