2-month-old baby in Kerala dies after circumcision, police probe unnatural death

A two-month-old baby boy died in Kerala’s Kozhikode on Sunday after developing uneasiness during a circumcision procedure at a private clinic, police said.

The infant, Emil Adam, son of a couple from Feroke, was taken to the Kakkoor Co-operative Clinic for the procedure, locally called sunnath.

According to the family, the baby, born premature at eight months, was one month and 27 days old at the time.

Police said the child developed uneasiness after being administered anaesthesia and was shifted to a private hospital for treatment. However, he died later in the afternoon while under care.

The Kakkoor police registered a case of unnatural death under Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS) section 194 based on a complaint by the baby’s maternal grandfather. The body has been sent for post-mortem to determine the exact cause of death, which is expected to be known after the examination later today.

Police said an investigation is underway into the incident.

On June 27, a one-year-old boy, Esen Erhan, died of jaundice in Kottakkal, Malappuram, reportedly because he was not given timely medical care.

Police and health officials suspect the baby did not receive medical care because his parents, Hira Hareera and Nawaz from Kottakkal, reportedly oppose modern medicine. His mother, an acupuncture practitioner, had posted on social media against modern medical treatments, which came under scrutiny after the boy’s death.

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