Polio-hit boy, kept tied to tree, brought to govt home

The 11-year-old boy, said to be mentally ill, used to be tied by his parents to a tree outside their house every day

A polio-affected 11-year-old boy, kept tied to a tree by his parents, was brought to a government home in Udaipur on Tuesday, a day after an eight-year-old boy was rescued.

Officials rescue the boy tied to a tree in Udaipur. (HT Photo)

The eight-year-old boy, said to be mentally ill, was tied in a rope by his grandparents and kept in a cattle shed at Kolyari village in Falasia block of Udaipur. A team brought him to a shelter home in Udaipur on Monday.

Representatives of the Child Welfare Committee, Aasra Vikas Sansthan and the child rights department rescued 11-year-old Jiva Ram from Baydi village of Kherwada block. His parents used to keep him, said to be mentally ill, tied to a tree outside their house every day.

“My son was a normal child till he was three years old. He was suddenly affected by polio and he gradually lost his senses; he even cannot speak properly and used to rip his clothes every now and then. To avoid any mishap with the child, we started keeping him tied to a tree so that he cannot move away unknowingly,” Jiva’s father Hurma Ram told HT.

“I am a farmer and a father of three sons among whom Jiva is the elder. I want my son to lead a normal life. I have spent around Rs 3-4 lakh on his treatment but his condition remained unchanged.”

Aasra Vikas Sansthan founder Bhojraj Singh said, “The boy was shifted to a shelter house in Udaipur where he will be provided treatment and a better life, which will help him grow as an a normal human being.”