Unaware of husband’s death, repatriated woman delivers girl
Athira’s first child was due in July, but family opts for C-section to prevent complications
Arepatriated pregnant woman from Kerala, whose husband died suddenly in Dubai on Monday, delivered a baby girl yesterday.
Athira Geetha Sreedharan, 27, still does not know that her husband Nithin Chandran will never see their first child.
Athira was due in the first week of July, but after the news of Nithin’s death, her family decided to have a caesarean delivery to reduce trauma to both the mother and child.
“She was only told that Nithin was not feeling well and her blood pressure shot up. So the family moved her to a hospital,” advocate Hashik T.K, who knew Nithin through the community group Incas Youth Wing, told Gulf News.
Athira last saw her husband on May 7 when she left Dubai on the first repatriation flight to India. Nithin chose to stay back because of his job and volunteering activities.
Tragic twist
However, Nithin, who turned 28 on June 2, died in his sleep in their apartment in Dubai’s International City on Monday. A heart attack is suspected as he was suffering from high blood pressure and a heart condition, according to his friends.
Athira hit the headlines after she filed a writ petition before India’s Supreme Court — with the help of Incas Youth Wing — seeking its intervention in getting the Indian government to begin repatriation flight so she could return home ahead of her delivery. “I have handled several death cases and known many sad stories. No other case has left me so emotional and devastated,” Hashik T.K, who along with Nithin saw off Athira when she flew on the first repatriation flight from Dubai to Kozhikode on May 7.
“I told Nithin that their petition helped highlight the plight of pregnant women and the government subsequently gave priority to them. I never expected their story would have a tragic twist like this,” he said.
Nithin was active in social work and conducted blood donation drives and food distribution during the pandemic.