A recent tragedy at a Shishu Gruha in Anantapur has led to the immediate suspension of District Women and Child Welfare and Empowerment Officer, M. Nagamani. The State government took this drastic action following her alleged failure in ensuring adequate healthcare for a two-month-old infant under her department’s care.
The infant, named Niroop, was admitted to the Shishu Gruha on September 30th and sadly passed away just three days later, on October 3rd. Disturbing allegations quickly surfaced, including claims that the baby was not fed appropriately by the caregiver (‘ayah’) and that his body was buried without proper notification to senior officials. A three-member committee was promptly established to investigate these serious claims. Based on their findings, the State government officially issued a Government Order (GO) announcing Ms. Nagamani’s suspension on Tuesday.
The official report highlighted several critical issues, stating that while the infant was under regular supervision by the Specialised Adoption Agency (SAA) staff and initially considered medically stable despite being underweight, his death on October 3rd from loose stools was unexpected. Crucially, the report noted a significant delay in informing higher authorities about the child’s hospitalization and subsequent death, with the incident only coming to light after media reports.
The committee concluded that these oversights clearly indicate “negligence, misconduct, monitoring failure, and a lack of devotion” on Ms. Nagamani’s part, a direct violation of Rule 3 of the C.C.A and the conduct rules of Andhra Pradesh. Consequently, they recommended her immediate suspension and further disciplinary proceedings.
Following these strong recommendations, the government promptly issued orders for Ms. Nagamani’s suspension, effective immediately and pending further directives. She has also been instructed not to leave her headquarters without obtaining explicit prior permission from the appropriate authority.