Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 30 (IANS): A couple who are still searching for their one year old child who was allegedly removed by the mother's parents, on Saturday filed a petition against Kerala Culture Minister Saji Cherian over his remarks which have hurt them.

The couple has been in the news for the past nearly two weeks ever since the media took up the case of 22-year-old mother Anupama (member of a hardcore top CPI-M family in the state capital) and her husband Ajith, who had knocked on all doors for the past six months demanding that the Police, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and several other agencies find her child who had been taken from her by her parents a year back.

It was only after the media took it up did things change.

The verdict of the Family Court came on Monday, which was to have finalised the legal adoption of her baby boy, that was given through the state run adoption agencies to an Andhra couple, but following the media intervention, the court decided to stay all further adoption proceedings.

The ruling CPI-M received flak, especially from the Congress and the BJP, for its stand when it speaks of women and child protection but failed to give justice to its own student activist.

And with the CPI-M caught on the wrong foot, Cherian while speaking at a function attacked Ajith personally about his past. This irked Ajith and Anupama who filed the complaint in the local police station demanding action against the Minister.

"I request the police to conduct a probe on what the Minister said and if not true, action should be taken against him," was the gist of the complaint.