DNA tests taken amid row over child adoption \
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DNA tests taken amid row over child adoption

22-Nov-2021
Thiruvananthapuram Nov 22 PTI DNA tests on a baby whose adoption sparked off a row in Kerala and on a couple claiming to be its biological parents were conducted on Monday by the officials of Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology RGCB here The infant was brought back to the State from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh late Sunday by a team of officials from the Kerala State Council for Child Welfare KSCCW The one-year-old boy who was in the foster care of a couple in Andhra Pradesh is suspected to be the child of Anupama S Chandran who has raised allegations against her parents for kidnapping the baby soon after its birth and giving him in adoption through the KSCCW without her consent a year ago This morning the RGCB officials collected the DNA sample from the infant who is currently under the care of the Child Welfare Committee CWC Anupama and her partner Ajith were called to the RGCB and their samples were also collected for the DNA analysis The officials said the result will be out by tomorrow Tuesday or the day after Anupama said but expressed concern over whether the samples of the child collected were hers or not She expressed displeasure over the decision of the CWC to collect the samples of the couple and the child separately forcing her to raise such allegations Meanwhile State Health Minister Veena George said the child was handed over to the foster parents after going through due procedure and since the infant was brought back as per the direction of the CWC the legal procedure needs to be followed The primary responsibility of the government is to protect the rights of the child The State government will not take any stand detrimental to the rights of Anupama the Minister told reporters On November 18 the CWC issued an order directing the KSCCW to bring the child back to Kerala A team led by KSCCW officials and comprising an escort of a Special Juvenile Police unit received the child from the adoptive parents in Andhra Pradesh on Saturday and brought him back to Kerala The team reached the Thiruvananthapuram airport on Sunday night The child has been handed over to a child care institution as directed by the CWC Anupama 24 and her partner Ajith are on a protest in front of the KSCCW office at Thycaud here for some days demanding to get her baby back The womans allegation that her child was forcibly taken away from her by her father a local CPIM leader triggered a political controversy and the government had announced a departmental probe into the incident Anupama had accused her parents of forcibly taking away her newborn child from her soon after its birth a year ago and alleged that though she had complained about it to the police several times since April they were reluctant to register a case against her family members However the Peroorkkada police here has said a case was registered against six people -- her parents sister sisters husband and two of his fathers friends -- and that the delay happened as they were awaiting legal opinion A family court last month stayed the adoption process of the child and directed the police to submit a detailed report on the matter in a sealed cover PTI RRT NVG NVG
22-Nov-2021 National
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