Cooch Behar, Sept. 7: The district social welfare department today “rescued” 11-year-old Babli (name changed) from her home where she spent her days tethered to a wooden post in the courtyard and admitted her to the district hospital here.
An NGO has been entrusted to take care of her.
Babli’s plight had been reported by The Telegraph on Monday. Her parents, Swapan and Bulurani Das, had said they had given up on the mentally challenged girl who was deaf and mute as well and would rather spend money and time to take care of their two younger daughters. Swapan, who hawks garments on local trains and had said that he found it hard to make ends meet, is the owner of a pucca house with a dish antennae and a colour television. The family had built a 4ftX4ft room for Babli beside the toilet, where she slept at night on a plastic sheet.
During the day, she was kept in the courtyard tied with a jute string, braving the elements.
Sources in the social welfare department said Babli would be shifted to a government home for special children after her treatment. “We will also file a police complaint against her parents for violation of child rights,” said a source.
This morning, around 9, district social welfare officer Nihar Ranjan Samanta and child welfare committee chairperson Partha Indra visited Babli’s home in Tantipara, 4km from here, and brought her to MJN Hospital in town.
“As soon as we learnt about the plight of the girl, we asked an NGO, Society for Participatory Action and Reflection, to make enquiries. They submitted the report yesterday and we took the help of the district administration to rescue the girl today. We have entrusted Dakshin Ramchandrapur Vivekananda Seva Kendra, an NGO that works with children with physical disabilities, to look after her treatment,” Indra said.
Samanta said the “rescue” was done under orders from subdivisional officer of Cooch Behar, Rumela Dey. “We are going to take all steps to get her healthy as she seems to be suffering from malnutrition. We clothed her first and took her to hospital,” he said.
Ruma Das, the representative of Vivekananad Seva kendra, said Babli’s mother did not put up any resistance when she was told that the girl would be taken away.
“The girl was tied to the post when we arrived. Her father was away, but the mother did not put up any resistance. In fact, she brought out clothes and oiled her hair and dressed her and handed her over to us. There were tears in her eyes and she wanted to accompany her to the hospital,” Ruma said.
Mother Bulurani said she used to keep Babli tied up as she had no other option. “It was not possible to keep track on her always. She always soiled her dresses. We are a poor family, we can’t afford maids. I had to look after my other two daughters,” she said.
“I have sinned. I hope she gets better now,” she added.
Samanta said Babli has been put on saline. “She is malnourished and she needs to get her strength back. A child specialist will attend on her soon,” the district social welfare officer said.
