Kendrapara: The child welfare committee (CWC) members Thursday rescued a two-year-old girl from her alcoholic and mentally ill mother at Gunthi village under Pattamundai police limits, said district child protection officer Bijay Kumar Sahu.
According to Sahu, some residents of Gunthi urged the CWC over telephone to rescue the girl, Puja, as her mother failed to take care of her. The woman often ill-treated her child and even attempted to kill her in inebriated condition.
Acting on the information, CWC members with the help of district child protection unit rushed to the village and conducted an inquiry into the matter.
The inquiry revealed that the woman Tapoi Jena, a resident of Ghadimala under Rajnagar police limits, has been in a live-in relationship with Suresh Swain, a contractual teacher of the locality. They have been residing in a rented house at Gunthi for six months.
The couple had convinced the villagers that they were husband and wife and had a daughter. Tapoi, who appears mentally unsound, is an alcoholic and did not take care of her daughter. She didn’t even feed the child at times and physically assaulted her, it was learnt.
Suresh went away from Tapoi Wednesday following an altercation between the couple. Tapoi then beat up the child in inebriated state and didn’t give her food. Locals found Puja abandoned on the road and crying. They rescued the child and informed the authorities.
The CWC then took custody of the child and informed Pattamundai police.
The child was subsequently handed over to Korua-based childcare institution Pallishree. As long as the woman does not quit alcohol and seeks treatment for her illness, Puja would remain at Pallishree, said Sisir Kumar Routray, chairperson of the CWC. PNN
