By the time Rahul, 2, was brought to government hospital at Harippad in Alappuzha on October 18, he had been hungry for hours. The doctors said he had died of “starvation-induced anaemia”. The postmortem said his stomach was “empty”.Keralam’s expansive social welfare umbrella that, at different times of his short life, brushed against Rahul included the ICDS (Integrated Child Development Services), the panchayat, the Juvenile Justice Committee, the District Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and the Health Department. However, Rahul, who at death was 7 kg, almost half the normal weight of a toddler his age, fell through the loopholes.The Keralam Women and Child Welfare Department has announced now that Rahul’s parents Rajesh T, an autorickshaw driver, and Thara would lose custody of their remaining five children, the eldest 10 and the youngest a newborn, delivered the day before Rahul’s death. One of Rahul’s siblings died two years ago, in circumstances not much different from him – making it seven children born to Thara in 10 years, since she got married at the age of 19.With the children now in different homes and Thara to be housed at a shelter with the newborn, Rajesh denies that he and his wife were guilty of neglect. “We did not deny food to the children. I have financial issues, but I ensured they were well-fed. Rahul had some cardiac issues and he died of milk aspiration. He was fine till the previous night,” he said, adding: “An astrologer had told there would be a death at home.”ICDS District Programme Officer Maya Panicker said that Rahul’s four eldest siblings, all girls, are now at a care home. “The eldest has not been to school this entire academic year. She and her 7-year-old sister will receive special classes at the care centre for this year. The younger girls, 5 and 3, will be enrolled in anganwadis, and Thara and baby will be shifted to state-run women’s shelter Mahila Mandiram.”A source said that the 10- and 7-year-old are also underweight. The house they lived in, Rajesh’s family home, was found to be dilapidated and squalid, having not seen repairs in years as it was a disputed property.A neighbour, Bindu, told The Indian Express: “The children were often not given any food. The 10-year-old daughter would do most of the chores, including getting water from a well, and looking after her younger siblings.”Story continues below this adKeralam’s social welfare network for women and children is considered the best among all states, with statistics such as 99.9% deliveries in institutions, infant mortality rate of 5, immunisation coverage of 95%, and stunting percentage at 20% among children.In Rahul’s case too, officials said, there were repeated interventions since at least 2022, after complaints of neglect, but the parents kept pressuring that the children be handed back. They also managed to escape the radar, officials said, by frequently moving houses.Over the years, they were under the care of three different anganwadis in Alappuzha, who tracked them and supplied provisions for them and their pregnant mother. Officials believe the provisions did not reach the children in adequate amounts.In 2022, after finding that the children, who numbered four at the time, were not being looked after, the ICDS authorities and the CWC shifted them to a state-run care home. However, Rajesh approached the CWC seeking their return, and officials said they had no option but to give them back. “Under the juvenile justice law, a child should be returned to his / her parents if they are alive. This is a loophole which leaves children vulnerable if parents are irresponsible,’’ an official said.Story continues below this adIn 2024, as per an ICDS report which has now emerged, a complaint was received from neighbours that a 3-year-old and an 18-month-old had been left on their own at home by the couple. After the panchayat stepped in, the eldest girls, then 8 and 5, were moved into a children’s home, while the younger children were placed in government-run Shishu Vihar, meant for vulnerable toddlers.ALSO READ | Kerala woman says hospital did colonoscopy without her consent, gets Rs 1.03 lakh payoutThe 8- and 5-year-old attended school while they were at the shelter for about 18 months. But after the school broke for vacation, the parents sought their custody. An ICDS officer said the children did not come back after the vacation.Rajesh and Thara did not get any documents made for the children either, including Aadhaar, which complicated their access to public services, sources said.In the beginning of 2026, the family moved back to Karthikappally. Officials said their precarious situation was immediately apparent to local panchayat officials.Story continues below this adFinally, in August, the children were shifted to Gandhi Bhavan, a care facility at Pathanapuram in Kollam. However, Thara soon arrived there, climbed onto the terrace and threatened to jump off if the children were not handed to her – a tactic, officials said, she had tried before. Officials were careful not to agitate her as she was pregnant, and gave in.ALSO READ | ‘We’re fed up’: Kerala man’s job loss, suspected suicide pact, and 2 deathsPanchayat president Ullasan P said that early this month, a team of officials, ASHA workers and panchayat members again went to the couple asking them to hand over the children to a child protection panel. “Thara again threatened to end her life. We even got a new house sanctioned for the family under the state government’s LIFE Mission for the homeless,” Ullasan said.On October 18, one of the first to discover Rahul unresponsive was Bindu. “The previous day, Rajesh and the children had been at hospital for Thara’s delivery. They returned at night, and on Sunday morning, Rajesh called me up saying Rahul was not waking up. I rushed to their house and found the baby motionless,” the neighbour said.Women and Child Development Minister Bindhu Krishna, who visited Rajesh and Thara’s four children at the care centre Tuesday, told the media that her department would identify other children living in similar circumstances and ensure they got help.Story continues below this adShe also promised “a criminal case” against Rajesh, and a probe separately into their other child who died. “There will be strong action against parents who evade their responsibility,” Krishna said.