New Delhi:
It's hard to say if it's more shocking or tragic - a family in New Delhi locked up a 27-year-old woman for three years, only because she is mentally challenged.
The police have rescued her, only to face a complicated case, beginning with what charges they need to file against the family.
NDTV spoke to Sahista, who was locked up by her mother. Being mentally unstable, she was forced to live in a small three-by-six room, which also served as the toilet.
NDTV: Did they give you meals?
Sahista: (Pauses and nods in negative) It depended on them. If they liked, they would give something, Otherwise, I was not given any meal.
Sahista was rescued by the police and an NGO after one of her neighbours informed the police.
"We brought her out after breaking the lock. When she came out, you wouldn't believe what we saw. She had defecated and urinated in the same room," said Sreerupa Mitra Choudhuary, from Sudinalay.
Neighbours, many of whom were aware of what was going on say they had tried to reason with the family, but in vain. They say they were too scared to approach the police.
"No one wants to intervene unnecessarily and get themselves into any trouble, but after a point we just couldn't keep mum and do anything about it," said Javed, a neighbour.
The police say they've sought a legal opinion on the matter, but off the record, police sources tell us that this case is complex and in fact a puzzling one for them, and it will be very difficult for them to even determine which sections of the law to invoke.
Sahista may have been rescued but psychiatrists say such cases are not uncommon.
"Six out of ten families have the tendency to hide a mental illness someone might be suffering from. Because of the stigma attached to it, they postpone, in some cases even deny the person treatment.