Father, Imam Arrested After Kerala Girl's Death. They Refused Treatment

Days after the death of an 11-year-old girl, her 55-year-old father Abdul Sathar, and a 30-year-old Imam Mohammad Uwaiz have been arrested by the police in Kerala's Kannur.  

According to the police, Mr Uwaiz convinced the family not to seek medical help on religious grounds when their daughter fell sick.

"We have a witness, a relative of the Imam, who has stated that the Imam was actively engaged in convincing the father against taking his daughter to the hospital. We also have the witness saying that the Imam has been involved in such instances earlier, and allegedly has links to deaths of 4 adults who were advised by him not to get medical help" Kannur District Police Chief Ilango R told NDTV.

According to the police, the victim was suffering from fever but she was not taken to the hospital. Instead, she was taken to the Imam, who gave her holy water and asked her parents to read Quran, and advised them to not take her to the hospital, news agency ANI reported.

The complainant, the brother of the girl's father, had approached the police and in his statement, had said that three family members had also passed away in 2014, 2016, 2018 without getting any treatment, the news agency added.

The two accused have been booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder under IPC, and the father has also been booked under Juvenile Justice Act. Further probe is underway.

Despite a draft Anti-Superstition Bill, Kerala is yet to enact it as a law through the Assembly. Maharashtra and Karnataka are among the states which have a law against superstition.