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Santiniketan, July 11: Visva-Bharati has sent an interim report to the human resource development ministry saying the Class V Patha Bhavan student was “directed” to lick urine as a remedy for bed-wetting and that her mother approved it.
The ministry had on Monday asked the university for a detailed report on directions from the Prime Minister’s Office. It was sent yesterday.
“The report stated that the girl regularly wetted her bed, causing inconvenience to others. Her guardians were asked to consult doctors. Her mother assured the hostel warden they would, but added that she would approve any indigenous remedy (totka) they chose to apply on her,” said a Visva-Bharati official, preferring anonymity.
An HRD ministry official in Delhi said: “The report has quoted the warden as saying she was asked by the child’s mother to do so…. This view is not shared by the HRD ministry.”
The student’s mother has denied approving such a remedy. “We are consulting doctors for the past three months. When my daughter is undergoing treatment, why should I ask the warden to apply such an inhuman remedy? The charges are completely fabricated. This is being done deliberately to malign us,” she said.
“As soon as we got to know that my daughter was being treated like this, we rushed to the hostel. For this, charges have been levelled against us and we were arrested. Now, the false report has been sent because the university does not have a proper point to defend itself.”
Senior university professors have criticised the authorities for sending an “unprofessional” report.
“The main question is if the university should apply a non-scientific remedy to cure a student’s problem even if it is advised by her mother,” a professor said.
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