Ministry looking into Sherin Mathews's adoption process: Maneka Gandhi

Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi on Saturday said that the ministry is looking into the adoption process of Sherin Mathews, whose body was found in a culvert in suburban Dallas in Texas.

Maneka's statement came after External Affairs Minister (MEA) Sushma Swaraj requested her to probe the adoption process of the three-year-old Sherin.

"We all are concerned about the case. I and Sushma Swaraj ji are working on it. This is a very responsive government. In Sherin Mathews' case, I called the adoption committee members for a meeting the very next day," she told ANI.

MEA Swaraj had on Friday requested Maneka to look into the adoption process of Sherin.

In the wake of the incident, the ministry has decided to issue passports to the adopted children only after approval of the Ministry of Child Development.

Sherin Mathews of Richardson, Texas, went missing on October 7 and her body was found from a culvert in suburban Dallas, Texas the next day.

Initially, Sherin's father, Wesley Mathews, told the authorities that he had asked the child to stand outside their home at around 3 am on October 7 as punishment for not drinking her milk but she later went missing.

He, however, later confessed that the child choked to death while drinking milk and he moved the body out of the home.

Wesley has been charged with child endangerment.