23 child deaths in Palakkad under scanner as High Court seeks CBI report, hands Kollengode case to agency

KOCHI: The mysterious deaths of 23 children in the border regions of Palakkad district over the past 13 years have come under renewed scrutiny after the Kerala High Court ordered a CBI investigation into one of the cases. Most of the victims were girls, and some were allegedly subjected to sexual abuse. Despite investigations by the local police and the Crime Branch, none of the cases has been solved. The High Court has directed the CBI to take over the probe into the 2010 death of an 11-year-old girl in Kollengode and has sought a report on whether the agency is willing to investigate the remaining cases. The report is to be submitted by August 6.

The order came after the court found serious irregularities in the Crime Branch investigation report related to the 11-year-old girl's death. The petitions were filed by the Walayar Justice Action Committee, seeking an effective investigation into the cases. A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice V.M. Syam Kumar considered the petitions.

The mysterious child deaths were reported from the police station limits of Walayar, Kasaba, Kollengode, Pattambi, Sreekrishnapuram, Kongad, Ottapalam, Sholayur, Agali, Chittur, Kalladikode, Hemambika Nagar, and Kottayi.

The court said the CBI may obtain case details from the Palakkad District Police Chief. It also directed that matters related to child safety should be reviewed every month by legal services authorities and reported to the Chairperson of the Kerala State Legal Services Authority (KELSA). Senior advocate B.G. Harindranath appeared for the petitioners.

Court's directions to the government

• Conduct awareness programmes for children, parents, and teachers on child rights and child protection laws. Organise anti-drug and cyber safety campaigns in schools, tribal areas, and other vulnerable regions.
• Ensure coordination between the Child Welfare Committee, Police Department, Education Department, Social Justice Department, and Child Rights Commission.
• Identify children who have faced exploitation and provide them with legal assistance and welfare benefits.
• Strengthen the role of paralegal volunteers and lawyers in child protection activities.
• Form local Child Protection Committees involving local bodies, Kudumbashree units, and voluntary organisations.

2010 Kollengode girl's death case
The 2010 death of an 11-year-old girl in Kollengode remained unresolved even after more than a decade of investigation. The Crime Branch eventually filed an "undetected" closure report.

The girl was found hanging from a saree inside a bathroom at her grandmother's house in Pallassana Ozhivuppara on January 18, 2010, at around 2.30 pm. The local police, CBCID and Crime Branch all investigated the case. The post-mortem report stated that the child had been sexually assaulted shortly before her death. Injuries and bruises were found on her private parts. The presence of semen was also detected. Six months after the incident, the girl's mother committed suicide. Her father also died later.

Investigators examined around 370 witnesses and conducted scientific tests on several suspects. However, they were unable to identify those responsible for the child's death.