Mentally challenged man, chained by family for 18 yrs, rescued

Jodhpur - He said the matter was first brought to his notice by District Magistrate BS Mallik.

A 48-year-old mentally challenged man, who had been kept chained by his family members for the past 18 years, was on Wednesday freed following a coordinated intervention by the district administration and judiciary.
Hari Singh, a resident of Devatra village in Bhopalgarh tehsil of the north Indian state of Rajasthan's Jodhpur district, was rescued by the District Legal Service Authority (DLSA) on the direction of its Chairman Justice GK Vyas, and admitted to the psychiatry department of MDM Hospital.
A para-legal volunteer and a penal advocate of DLSA went to Singh's village on Wednesday morning and took him to the hospital, DLSA Deputy Secretary Dheeraj Sharma said.
He said the matter was first brought to his notice by District Magistrate BS Mallik.
"The DM told me that Singh's family members were not willing to take him to the hospital for treatment and that he needed a better atmosphere and treatment to recover. This message was conveyed to Justice Vyas who gave directions for rescuing Singh and making arrangements for his treatment," Sharma said.
Doctors treating Singh said his ailment was curable, according to Sharma.
The District Magistrate said he saw Singh during a visit to the region and when he spoke to his family members and parents, they refused to take him to hospital for treatment due to resource limitation.
"I brought the matter to the notice of DLSA immediately, seeking their help and directed the BDO to initiate the process of giving pension to him," Mallik said.

• India