Boy saved from drug-addict parents

Kochi: Childline, police and child welfare committee (CWC) rescued a one-and-a-half-year-old boy from Kaloor after his parents, who are around 24 years old, were found mostly under the influence of drugs and seemed unable to ensure his safety.The rescue was carried out on Monday after Childline received a tip-off that the mother was feeding the baby allegedly under the influence of drugs. The mother is reportedly from Ottapalam while the father, hailing from Malappuram, is a history-sheeter in ganja peddling cases.A Childline source said the couple were staying in a hotel since they reached Ernakulam two months ago."When we reached the hotel, the man (father) was standing outside the room and the mother was inside a locked room. After much persuasion, she opened the door and the man tried to leave the room after collecting his belongings. Mother also tried to leave the room where the baby was sleeping. When we started collecting their details, both engaged in a war of words and hurled abuses against each other, forcing us to interfere and tell them we would take the baby to Childline. When the husband left the room, the mother followed him. But she returned soon and remained in the room. When the baby woke from his sleep, the woman refused to feed him," said a source.Later, officials collected drinking water from hotel staff to feed the baby. The staff told officials that the couple used to quarrel frequently and beat up the child. Childline took his custody in the presence of the woman and another man, using whose identity the couple took the room on rent. After presenting the child before CWC, he was shifted to a rescue home.The couple reached CWC office in Kakkanad by evening and threatened officials there before hurling abuses at Childline officials. "We are convinced that the couple is currently not fit to ensure the child's safety," a source said.