Kerala Home Minister Orders Review of 23 Child Deaths in Palakkad
Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala has ordered a review of 23 "suspicious deaths" of adolescents and minors that occurred in Palakkad district between 2010 and 2023. The review will be headed by Deputy Inspector General of Police, Thrissur Range, T Narayanan, who has jurisdiction over the Palakkad police district, according to the Home Minister's Office.
The decision follows a meeting with a civic forum led by public interest litigator K. Salil Lal Ahmed on Tuesday. The forum had flagged these deaths, including suspected suicides, in several localities along the Palakkad-Tamil Nadu border. The forum had earlier moved the Kerala High Court, seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe, claiming that several of the deceased bore signs of ante-mortem injuries and sexual abuse. The High Court subsequently ordered a CBI enquiry and directed the agency to submit a preliminary report.
Local police and the Crime Branch had previously investigated several of these cases and found no evidence of foul play. However, the civic forum alleged that local law enforcement closed some cases prematurely, and activists stated that the victims' families found the investigations unsatisfactory. The forum urged the government to adopt a supportive stance in the High Court.
Chennithala's office stated that the minister has called for a scheme to improve coordination among local police, Child Welfare Committees, and parents' and teachers' associations. The scheme aims to ensure timely action to detect adolescent runaways and provide legal counselling to families.
