A 25-year-old pregnant woman, Shevanthi, from Solagar Dhoddi in the Thalavadi Hills, who had been untraceable for 10 days after refusing hospital admission, delivered a healthy baby boy at the District Government Hospital in Chamarajanagar, Karnataka, early Saturday (July 26, 2025).

She developed labour pains around 10 p.m. on Friday and was taken to the Government Upgraded Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Thalavadi. As the baby was estimated to weigh around 3 kg, she was referred to the Chamarajanagar Government Hospital to avoid complications. Accompanied by three health department staff, she was taken to the hospital and delivered the baby through normal delivery at 12:05 a.m.

A member of the health staff told The Hindu that both the mother and baby are doing well. Shevanthi is likely to be discharged within three days, depending on their condition, the staff member said.

Her delivery was initially scheduled for July 7, 2025, but she refused hospitalisation and went to a relative’s house in Karnataka. She later underwent a scan in Chamarajanagar, where doctors revised her expected delivery date to July 27. During this period, her whereabouts were unknown, and a complaint was lodged with the police. Following repeated counselling and persistent efforts by S. Kannaiyan, president of the Thalavadi Farmers’ Foundation, she eventually returned home.

On July 18, she was taken to the Thalavadi hospital for a check-up. Although doctors advised immediate admission, she insisted she would return only once labour pains began, and subsequently left for home..

Chamarajanagar is 23 km (about a 30-minute drive) from Thalavadi, and most pregnant women with complications from the region are referred there for delivery. In contrast, reaching Sathyamangalam Government Hospital, which is 58 km away (a 1 hour 40-minute drive), requires patients to pass through a 14-km stretch of the Dhimbam Ghat Road, which includes 27 hairpin bends within the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR), making access more challenging.