Baby Nidhi on her way to Jharkhand after emotional farewell at Ernakulam

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WRAPPED in a yellow blanket, baby Nidhi slept soundly amid the chaotic buzz of Ernakulam South Railway Station. Her caretakers stood around, their eyes moist but beaming with happiness, as they bid her farewell.

Almost six months after she was born in Kerala, Nidhi was finally heading home to Jharkhand. 

She was accompanied by staff from the Ernakulam District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) and the Special Juvenile Police. The team was led by District Child Protection Officer (DCPO) KS Sini, who carried the infant in her arms. 

The team is expected to reach Jharkhand by July 9, where Nidhi will be transferred to the custody of the Jharkhand Child Welfare Committee (CWC).

Nidhi was born twenty-eight weeks prematurely on January 29 at the Ernakulam General Hospital (GH). She was shifted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of a private hospital in Kochi for specialised treatment.

The baby made headlines after her parents, Ranjitha and Mangaleswar, a couple from Jharkhand, disappeared from the private hospital days after the delivery. Later, on the instructions of Kerala Health Minister Veena George, Nidhi was taken into state care. 

An emotional farewell

Sini told TNM that taking Nidhi to Jharkhand left her with mixed feelings. "Nidhi is our child. All of us at the CWC are deeply attached to her, and that makes the farewell a little difficult. But the child's best interests have to be considered, and she has to grow up in a culture native to her."

While Ranjitha and Mangaleswar have asked to be reunited with their daughter, the Jharkhand CWC will be conducting further assessment. Previously the Jharkhand CWC has submitted a report saying that the parents have the capacity to take care of Nidhi notwithstanding financial capacities. 

Shortly after the Alappuzha-Dhanbad Express carrying Nidhi departed, CWC chairperson Vincent Joseph said, “This wouldn't have been possible without the heartfelt cooperation from the doctors, nurses, caretakers and Kerala CWC members. In Kerala, if we find that the parents are unfit to take care of the child, we admit them to childcare institutes for a temporary period. Now it's up to the Jharkhand CWC to decide." 

Nidhi’s story 

Mangaleswar Oraon and Ranjitha worked as labourers on a fish farm in Kottayam district. They were heading to Jharkhand on January 29, as Ranjitha was in the later stages of pregnancy. When the train approached Ernakulam, Ranjitha developed labour pain and was taken to the Ernakulam GH for delivery.

"The infant was extremely preterm, so we had to shift her to a private hospital for more specialised care," Dr Shahir Shah, superintendent of Ernakulam GH, told TNM.

During the stay at the private hospital in February, the couple went missing. 

After news reports, Veena George intervened and instructed officials to take the baby into state care. She named the baby 'Nidhi', which means 'treasure' in Malayalam.

As her condition improved, Nidhi was shifted back to the NICU in Ernakulam GH. According to reports, a medical board was formed, and the infant was given specialised care in the Special Newborn Care Unit. 

At the time, the baby weighed only 950 grams, and her health was in a critical condition, Shahir told TNM. A medical team, coordinated by Shahir and led by the paediatric department head Dr Vineetha and special officer Dr Viji, administered expert medical care to Nidhi.

"The process was extremely challenging. Breast milk was given from the milk bank of the hospital. After a period of one and a half months, we were able to return the baby to the CWC in a stable health condition," Shahir added. 

On April 10, after nine weeks of medical care at Ernakulam GH, the hospital handed Nidhi over to Sini in the presence of Vincent Joseph. She was then moved to a specialised adoption agency in the city. Nidhi remained in the care of the nuns at the institute until the day she left for her home state.

The search for Nidhi’s parents

While Nidhi was in hospital, Ernakulam North police station were attempting to locate Nidhi’s parents. The inquiry was led by sub-inspector (SI) PP Reji, and a case was registered against the couple on serious charges, including abandonment and cruelty to a child. 

According to reports, when the investigation reached a dead end, Reji learnt that a team of Jharkhand police officers was in town for a badminton championship at the Kadavanthra Indoor Stadium. He approached them with Nidhi’s documents and copies of the couple’s Aadhaar cards. One of the officers recognised the couple as residents of his village, The Telegraph reports. This breakthrough enabled the police to trace Nidhi’s parents to Jharkhand.

Reji reportedly told The Telegraph that Mangleshwar had just Rs 23,000 on him when the bill at the private hospital in Kochi reached Rs 2 lakh. The parents also learnt that Nidhi’s vital organs, such as her kidneys, liver and brain, were underdeveloped.

At the time, it did not appear that she would survive. Mangleshwar could not believe that his daughter was alive when he saw a video of her, Reji also reportedly said. 

Reji told TNM that the charges have not been dropped yet, as assessments are still ongoing if the parents are likely to abandon Nidhi again.