The 20-month-old toddler caught in a child swap in a series of events following the baby sale racket at a Missionaries of Charity-run shelter has died, showing Jharkhand State Commission for Protection of Child Rights and child welfare committees of Ranchi and Khunti districts, directly involved in the mix-up, in a poor light.

While the lawyer of the deceased boy’s father has held the callousness of child welfare officials responsible, authorities on their part are shrugging off all onus for the “dysentery death” at a Khunti village home.

Motherless Sagar and his twin Sarita were among those evacuated in a hurry, arguably for their safety, from their shelter Shishu Bhavan run by the Missionaries of Charity in early July after Ranchi police unearthed the sale of babies in sister outfit Nirmal Hriday. Unknown to Sagar, his identity was swapped with another boy his age, Mangra Nag, by Ranchi welfare officials.

Their Khunti counterparts handed Mangra and Sarita to Sagar’s father Budhu Kandir on July 16. Sagar stayed at a Ranchi home named Karuna for months as Mangra.

Hapless Sagar was reunited with Budhu on September 26 after a long battle by the poor father with welfare authorities. Sagar died at home in Simbua village under Murhu thana of Khunti in less than two months.

A JVM member, Sunita Singh, among the people who helped Budhu get back Sagar, said the toddler’s unfortunate death only served to highlight the bungling of child welfare officials. She added the case had been in Jharkhand High Court since September to unite the father-son.

On Wednesday, Ranchi CWC chairperson Rupa Kumari and Jharkhand SCPCR chairperson Arti Kujur were given two weeks by the court to file an affidavit explaining the circumstances under which the baby swap occurred. But, child welfare officials seemed to wash their hands of the matter.

“We want to clarify that on September 26 Budhu was given back his baby (Sagar) and he had given a written undertaking to this effect. Sagar was in good health then,” said a member of Khunti child welfare committee Baidyanath Kumar. “His father never once contacted us after September 26,” the official continued. “So it would be wrong to hold us responsible. I don’t rule out a conspiracy to defame the child protection body. We came to know the death (of Sagar) through media reports. A team of Khunti child welfare committee, which visited his village on Wednesday (November 28) for inquiries, came to know that Sagar was suffering from dysentery for four days and his father had not consulted a doctor.”

Baidyanath argued Sagar’s twin Sarita was alive and well without considering that the little girl had not been through the mix-up ordeal.

Lawyer Amit Kumar, arguing the case in high court on behalf of Kandir, told this paper on Thursday that he would inform court of the child’s death. “It will be wrong to assume that this case has lost importance after Sagar’s death. Child welfare officials can’t absolve themselves of responsibility. Khunti officials handed over Sagar to his father without a medical test,” he claimed.

“Also, authorities also did not follow up on his health. The deceased child and his father unnecessarily suffered due to the poor handling of the case right from start,” the lawyer asserted.

Contacted by this paper on Thursday, SCPCR chairperson Arti Kujur remained tight-lipped. “I have directed Khunti CWC to submit a report,” she only said.