The Tamil Nadu police have arrested the husband of a 28-year-old woman who allegedly died during a home birth, and another man, reported The News Minute on Friday.
Krithiga, a private school teacher from Tamil Nadu’s Tiruppur district, died due to excessive bleeding on July 22 after attempting a home birth. The Tiruppur Rural Police said Krithiga and her husband Karthikeyan did not believe in modern medicine and reportedly attempted a home birth with the help of a friend, Praveen, by following YouTube videos.
Police initially registered a case under Section 174 of the Code of Criminal Procedure for suspicious death. It was then altered and filed under Section 304A (causing death by negligence). The police said they decided to arrest the husband as the couple had not visited the doctor even once during the term of pregnancy and had opted for a home birth without proper knowledge.
“The problem is that she [Krithiga] died and her father has given a statement that he had advised the couple to meet a doctor,” a police officer investigating the case said. The woman was also not registered at an urban health centre during her pregnancy, which is mandatory under Tamil Nadu government’s rules.
The complaint filed by Krithiga’s father with the police said that after giving birth, Krithiga’s health declined and her husband took her to a hospital. The doctors declared her dead on arrival and allegedly handed over the body without a death certificate or an autopsy report.
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