Kerala to give farewell to youngest organ donor with state honours
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Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Kerala’s youngest organ donor, a 10-month-old girl who gave a new lease of life to five children, will be accorded a farewell with state honours, the government said on Saturday, a day after she was declared brain dead and donated her vital organs.
Aalin Sherin Abraham, who was critically injured in a road accident near Pallam in Kottayam on February 5, was declared brain dead on Thursday at a private hospital in Kochi.
With her parents’ consent, six of her organs were donated, making her the youngest organ donor in the state, officials said.
In a post on 'X', Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the passing of the child in the road accident had deeply saddened everyone and that she would be bid farewell with official honours at her funeral, scheduled for Sunday.
Later in the day, an order was issued directing the district authorities in Pathanamthitta to make arrangements to place wreaths on the infant’s mortal remains on behalf of the chief minister and the state government.
The district police chief was instructed to accord police honours with a bugle salute, the order said.
Health Minister Veena George also posted on Facebook that "the state will give honour to the beloved little daughter."
A day after she became the youngest organ donor in Kerala, people from various walks of life, including Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar and CM Vijayan, expressed deep sorrow over the death of the 10-month-old girl and hailed her parents’ decision to donate her organs.
They described the parents’ generous gesture as an "extraordinary act of compassion and a message to all humanity."
In a social media post, Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar said he was "deeply moved" by the decision of Arun Abraham and Sherin Ann John, who chose to donate six organs of their daughter after she tragically lost her life in an accident.
"Through their selfless decision, they have gifted life and hope to others. May little Aalin’s soul rest in eternal peace. Heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family," he said.
Vijayan recalled that her parents chose to donate her organs in the midst of unimaginable pain.
"By becoming Kerala’s youngest organ donor, little Aalin has granted a new lease of life to five others—a monumental act of compassion that reflects the true spirit of Kerala," he said in a post on 'X'.
The CM extended his deepest condolences to the family and also saluted the dedicated health professionals, police officers, and support teams whose swift coordination made the transplants possible.
Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan also described Aalin’s demise as heartbreaking and said the parents’ decision was a message to all humanity.
"Even in the midst of the grief caused by the loss of their only daughter, the decision to donate the organs of the brain-dead child to save the lives of other children is commendable," he said in a statement.
"At a time of immense personal tragedy, the decision taken by those parents, keeping in mind the lives of other children, is a message to all humanity," he added.
Actor Mohanlal condoled the child’s death, saying that by giving hope of renewed life to a few young children, the little angel bid farewell to the world.
He said the parents have become examples of humanity and compassion, and that the world remains beautiful because of such selfless love.
"Aalin will continue to live on—not only in the memories of her loved ones, but also in the hearts of millions," he said.
According to hospital authorities, the organ donation process was coordinated through the Kerala State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (K-SOTTO).
The child’s heart valve, liver, and kidneys were allocated to various hospitals in Thiruvananthapuram, while her eyes will be donated to an eye bank, authorities added.
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Woman declared foreigner gets Indian citizenship under CAA
Guwahati (PTI): A woman, who spent two years in detention after being declared a foreigner, has been granted Indian citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Assam's Cachar district, her lawyer said.
The woman, identified as 59-year-old Depali Das, a resident of the Hawaithang area under the Dholai assembly constituency, was declared an illegal migrant by a Foreigners' Tribunal (FT) in February 2019.
Depali is the first declared foreigner in Assam who had once been lodged in a detention centre and later released on bail to receive Indian citizenship under the CAA.
The police detained her after the tribunal's order and sent her to the Silchar detention centre on May 10, the same year, where she remained for nearly two years before being released on bail on May 17, 2021, following a Supreme Court order, her lawyer Dharmananda Deb said.
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Depali was originally a resident of Dippur village under Dhirai police station in Bangladesh's Sylhet district and had married Abhimanyu Das of Parai village under Baniachong police station in Habiganj district in 1987, he said.
A year later, in 1988, the couple entered India and moved to Cachar district, where they have been living since then.
Her citizenship came under scrutiny in 2013 when police initiated an inquiry against her, and a chargesheet was submitted by the police on July 2, 2013, stating that Depali was a resident of Baniachong in Bangladesh and had entered India illegally after March 1971, Deb said.
"The chargesheet later proved crucial in her application for Indian citizenship under the CAA because the applicant must provide documentary evidence showing migration from Bangladesh, Pakistan or Afghanistan," he said.
"In most cases, applicants fail to produce such documents, but in Depali's case, the chargesheet submitted by the police officer in 2013 clearly mentioned that she was from Bangladesh. The authorities accepted this document as valid proof," he added.
After her release on bail in 2021, she wanted to apply for citizenship under the CAA and had approached Deb for legal assistance once the rules of the Act were notified in 2024.
Her first hearing took place on February 24 last year at the office of the Superintendent of Post Offices in Silchar, which is designated to process such applications.
Two more hearings were held subsequently, after which all her documents were submitted online to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
"She was called to the office of the Superintendent of Post Offices in Silchar for a final appearance on May 25 last year after the field verification by Home Ministry officials, and on March 6, she received her Indian citizenship certificate," social activist Kamal Chakraborty said.
Her three children, a son and three daughters, can now rely on their mother's citizenship certificate if their own citizenship is ever questioned in the future, since all the children were born in India, he added.
The Citizenship Amendment Act, passed by Parliament on December 11, 2019, triggered widespread protests across the country, particularly in Assam.
The Act allows Hindu, Christian, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain and Parsi migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who entered India between March 25, 1971 and December 31, 2014 to apply for Indian citizenship.
Before Das, four Bangladeshi nationals living in Assam were granted Indian citizenship under the CAA.
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