Dhamnagar: The phrase “Children are parents’ support system” is one that we all have heard of. But, for this 70-year-old Baula Sahu, a resident of a village under Dhushuri police limits under Dhamnagar block in Bhadrak district, the phrase means nothing more than just a phrase.
Baula finds the torture she has been subjected to by her own son and daughter-in-law unbearable and seeks justice.
After her husband’s death, her son and daughter-in-law have thrown her away from their house, leaving her to fend for herself. With no roof to take shelter under and no food to eat, the old lady is having a tough time after being abandoned in a helpless state.
Showing compassion, some kindhearted villagers are providing her food and allowing her to take shelter on their verandahs. “Like any parents, they were too exalted at having been blessed with a son. They distributed sweets among the villagers. They might have been thinking then that their sons would be their support in their old ages. Hardly did she know then that she would have to witness such a day in her life,” they observed.
Narrating her ordeal in a choked voice, Baula said she had lodged a police complaint accusing her son and daughter-in-law of throwing her away from home instead of taking care of her.
“The police did an investigation and asked my son to keep me. But he is not following the police order. I again sought police intervention but yielded zilch,” she said while struggling to find words to narrate her pathetic life story.
Taking a pause, she said, “Even the villagers are tired of persuading them to give me a shelter. I am an asthma patient. Running from pillar to post is only aggravating my health condition. I have no option but to knock the door of the district administration for justice.”
PNN