Ghasipura: ChildLine officials Sunday rescued two minor siblings who were being tortured and harassed by their stepmother in Ward 14 of Anandapur municipality in Keonjhar district. The tribal kids were Lovely Munda (7) and her brother Bapun Munda (3).
Officials admitted Bapun to the district headquarters hospital for treatment. Photographs of the boy tied up on the floor in a dark room were published in this newspaper. According to sources, the two siblings were born to daily wager Rajendra Munda and Laxmi Munda. All hell broke loose for the two children after their mother eloped with another man.
Rajendra then married another woman, who began harassing and torturing the children. The two siblings had a rough phase from early childhood. Bapun, who was only 18 months old when his mother abandoned them, has grown up amidst constant abuse at the hands of his step-mom, it is learnt.
Failing to bear the torture of their step-mom, the children were often seen asking for food at eateries. They would spend the night in open fields or on school verandahs and would plead people to adopt them.
Adding to their misery, the boy was afflicted with a stomach ailment. When he approached his step-mom, she reportedly tied him up and locked him inside a dark room. Later, Manas Sahu, a social activist, came to know of the incident and rescued the minor boy and his sister.
Later, he handed them to Childline officials who admitted them to Keonjhar DHH for his treatment. Lovely was sent to an ashram school while Bapun was kept under treatment. Doctors said Bapun would be operated upon for his ailment and later would be rehabilitated. PNN