The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has urged stringent action in connection with the death of an Irular tribal woman and her newborn in Kancheepuram district, after she was reportedly prevented from going to the hospital for delivery.

In a statement issued by the party, it was alleged that an Irular couple, Ananthan and Thenmozhi, had taken a loan advance of ₹20,000 for work from a firewood merchant named Arumugam and were working for him, during which Arumugam refused to allow the woman to go to the hospital for delivery.

The party stated that when the woman went into labour on September 9, she attempted to deliver the baby inside the tent where they were staying, leading to the death of both mother and child due to excessive bleeding. CPI(M) demanded a thorough investigation into the matter, calling for cases to be registered under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against all those involved, including Arumugam who allegedly prevented her from accessing medical care, and adequate compensation for Thenmozhi’s family.