Kerala child rights panel opens case after two-year-old dies from severe malnutrition

In Alappuzha district, a two-year-old named Rahul died after being found unresponsive by his father, Rajesh, an autorickshaw driver, in the family’s dilapidated rental house in Karthikappally. Hospital tests confirmed severe anemia and a body weight of only 7.6 kg, indicating prolonged nutritional neglect. The Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has filed a case, and the Child Welfare Committee has placed Rahul’s four surviving siblings under its protection while the mother, Thara, stays in a hospital with her newborn seventh child.

Authorities have called for statements from the district medical officer, the local panchayat secretary, the district child protection officer, and the integrated child development services supervisor. Women and child development minister Bindhu Krishna described the death as “extremely painful,” noting prior government interventions that had moved the family to a shelter home, which they later abandoned. Home minister Ramesh Chennithala said the family’s constituency status has been noted and that government assistance is being coordinated. An ASHA worker reported that the mother diluted milk and relied on older children to feed the toddler, underscoring the neglect that led to the tragedy.