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Mum ‘Set Fire To Own Children To Get Attention’
A woman in India has twice made headlines around the world after her babies allegedly caught fire without explanation but medics fear she is abusing them.
Medics are refusing to release the baby back to his mother, Rajeshwari Karnan, amid fears that she fabricated claims the boy and his brother spontaneously burst into flames.
In the first incident in 2013, baby Rahul ended up in intensive care ward at a hospital in India’s Viluppuram District after neighbours heard him screaming and discovered the child on fire in his cot.
Mrs Karnan claimed he caught fire a further three times without explanation.
And in January, the family were again in the news when they claimed Rahul’s newborn brother had also caught fire.
The 10-day-old child, who has not been named, was rushed into the Kilpauk Hospital with Mrs Karnan, claiming her son’s feet had spontaneously combusted while she was in the bath.
Medics said the boy had about 10 percent burn damage to his feet.
The baby has been in hospital for over a month now and doctors say the burns have healed and the baby is now fit for discharge.
Hospital dean Narayana Babu said: “All tests reveal he is completely normal. The parents went through psychiatric counselling and were found to be normal.”
But medics are still reluctant to hand the child amid fears one of the parents, they suspect the mother, is suffering from Munchausen by proxy syndrome – a mental illness whereby a parent seeks to harm their child in order to get attention.
Child psychiatrist Shiva Prakash Srinivasan told local media: “This need for attention is fulfilled by bringing the child into a hospital with a medical condition, and getting attention, and in this case with worldwide headlines.”
Mrs Karnan, 25, who also has an older daughter, Narmatha, said the suggestion she had caused the fires that injured her two sons was ludicrous.
But medics questioned the spontaneous combustion explanation, pointing out that the phenomenon has never been proven to exist and given the large amount of water the average human body contains.
British research biologist Brian J. Ford has argued in two articles, one of which appeared in the New Scientist, that spontaneous human combustion may be caused by a chemical called acetone that is produced naturally.
Source – Mirror
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AFRICA
March 5, 2015 at 9:01 am
Police in Zimbabwe have been confiscating radios sets that can tune into broadcasts from outside the country. Many of the devices have been given to people in rural areas of Zimbabwe by non-governmental organisations, but police say such importations and distributions are illegal. Critics insist the government doesnt want people tuning in to independent news ahead of an election this year.
Chief of Grief
March 5, 2015 at 12:08 pm
The husband libolo big tym,chili busy chilemufyalishafye abana ebo balekanga daily!
New Educated Zambia
March 5, 2015 at 2:16 pm
Such occurences ara usually linked to poor governance and which inturn leads to poor economic development and high levels of poverty. Such people have lost any sense to think like a normal human being. It wont surprise me when we start seeing such cases in Zambia under the poor leadership of the PF. Please let us think twice in 2016 and vote responsibily.
chika Edk Ike PhD
March 6, 2015 at 6:00 pm
I knew that this fool called nez imputi ya wishi will comment outside the topic at hand anyway I ve stopped reading your crap coz I know this fool is bitter cadre who thinks this site is a campaign space for his foolish up end party
New Educated Zambia
March 6, 2015 at 6:15 pm
kiki mune no need to throw insults left right centre. Just like you and anyone else here, I have the right to give my views and opinions. That is the joy of democracy and freedom of speech. It is unfortunate that you resort to insults and that my well reasoned out opinions have led you to be upset. You have now gone into a self-inflicted ban from reading my comments. I am sure you will come around soon. Time is a healer. Take heart and deal with your inner political issues and then only will you be able to see how progressive the UPND is. Our doors are always open to new members. I was just like you. A bitter and angry PF member until I realised just how usless they were