Coimbatore:
A twenty-six-year-old mentally challenged was kept chained for 18 months in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore district by his parents.
The parents, farmers at Pogalur village, say "Villagers used to hurl stones at our son if he entered the village. We chained him so that his movement is restricted."
Chained on both legs, the boy is unable to take long steps; his ankles show clear signs of pain and injury.
A few youngsters who first noticed the plight of the boy, reportedly decided to formally complain to the police, seeking intervention and relief to the chained young man.
Chaining patients is illegal in India, according to the draft Mental Health Care Act, 2010. However experts say this cruelty continues in many homes. Mentally challenged people tend to turn violent and family members use that to justify this cruelty. Many also cite lack of resources to treat them medically.
In 2001, 28 mentally challenged chained people were burnt alive in a fire accident at a private asylum at Erwadi in Tamil Nadu's Ramanathapuram district. The state had immediately banned chaining.
The parents, farmers at Pogalur village, say "Villagers used to hurl stones at our son if he entered the village. We chained him so that his movement is restricted."
Chained on both legs, the boy is unable to take long steps; his ankles show clear signs of pain and injury.
A few youngsters who first noticed the plight of the boy, reportedly decided to formally complain to the police, seeking intervention and relief to the chained young man.
Chaining patients is illegal in India, according to the draft Mental Health Care Act, 2010. However experts say this cruelty continues in many homes. Mentally challenged people tend to turn violent and family members use that to justify this cruelty. Many also cite lack of resources to treat them medically.
In 2001, 28 mentally challenged chained people were burnt alive in a fire accident at a private asylum at Erwadi in Tamil Nadu's Ramanathapuram district. The state had immediately banned chaining.
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