Kerala man booked for culpable homicide after wife dies during childbirth at home

The Kerala police on Tuesday arrested a man and booked him on charges of culpable homicide just days after his wife died during childbirth at their rented home in Malappuram district.

The man, identified as Sirajuddin, is a Muslim religious preacher who also runs a YouTube channel.

His wife Asma (35), a native of Vengola in Ernakulam district, died on the night of April 5 at their Kodur house shortly after giving birth to their fifth child. Her mortal remains, after postmortem at the Ernakulam Govt Medical College and Hospital, confirmed that she succumbed to excessive bleeding and lack of adequate medical care.

Sirajuddin, the police said, took Asma’s body and drove to her home in Vengola the next day along with the children and the newborn. Her family, suspecting foul play, filed a police complaint which led to the husband’s arrest.

“Prima facie, it appears that the husband insisted on the childbirth at home. The couple’s first two children were born in hospitals in Alappuzha, while the next two children were born at home. We have clear clues about the people who were present at the rented home at the time of delivery, including the midwife. It is too early to reveal their names, but the investigation will surely cover those aspects,” Malappuram district police chief R Vishwanath told reporters on Tuesday.

The accused, police said, has also been booked for destroying evidence since he transported the woman’s remains without admitting her to a hospital or informing the police about the death.

“As per the statement of the accused, the child was delivered around 6pm on April 5 (Saturday), and she died a couple of hours later. The body of the woman was transported to her home in Ernakulam the next morning,” the officer said.

On Monday, Kerala health minister Veena George termed the incident a “deliberate act of murder”.

Kerala had the lowest infant and maternal mortality figures in the country, but certain recent trends were “deeply concerning”, the minister said.

According to the National Family Health Survey-5, Kerala has a near-100% institutional delivery in all 14 districts, while home births accounted for 0.1%. Last year, the state accounted for around 500 home births, out of which a majority were reported in Malappuram district.

Kerala’s maternal mortality rate (MMR) of 19 per 1 lakh births is the lowest in the country. India’s average MMR in 2018-20 is 97 per 1 lakh births.