Tied to a cart: plight of a mentally challenged girl

DESPERATE MEASURES: 10-year-old Sonali has a foot tautly tied up to cart with a cord while her father goes to work.

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Mumbai: The story of 10-year-old girl from Sangli is a telling story of the plight of mentally handicapped people in India.

Eyes vacant, hands not even attempting to swat the flies that sit on her, not an article of clothing on her frail body and a foot tautly tied up with a cord to a cart — Sonali spends the whole day in this manner while her father Arun goes to work.

For the last four years, Arun has been forced to do adopt this measure so that no harm comes to her.

While he says he has no other alternative, the local authorities have so far failed to help.

“The last time I let her be, I had to rescue her from a pack of street dogs,” he says.

Arun earns a meagre Rs 50 per day, transporting iron and bamboo on a bullock cart.

With a four-year-old son to support as well, Arun says tying up his motherless daughter is his only resort.

It was his neighbours who came to Sonali's rescue, feeding and clothing the child from time to time. They say no help has been forthcoming from those in power.

“We even went to municipal authorities, but they refused to help,” a neighbour says.

Sonali has become a mere metaphor for the poverty and helplessness her family is facing, tied up as they are by their fate.