Amritsar, June 22
For Deepak, alias Biba (17) time stood still as he along with his younger sister Tanya Goel (15 approximately) remained in forced confinement in their own house for the past 15 years under the most inhuman circumstances.
Their mother, Dimple (42) became obsessed with her children and hence did not let them out even for a day. The children never had any interaction with any child of the locality, did not have any toys or any education. They were underfed as they survived on simple ‘rotis’. Totally cut off from the world, they had to face the “eccentric” behaviour of their mother.
The boy was often beaten up and sustained permanent disability to his legs. When TNS met the boy at Pingalwara, he could hardly stand up. The sister was so terrorised that she could hardly speak. She locked herself up in a room at Pingalwara on seeing the press correspondents.
Dr B.L. Goel, Director, Vidya Sagar Mental Hospital, said Dimple was suffering from schizophrenia (mental disease) due to some domestic problems.
A grotesque incident of retaining 16 dead puppies in Dimple Goel’s house in the posh colony of Anand Avenue (house number 17-B) blew the lid off the startling story. The foul smell from the dead puppies was so nauseating that the neighbours were forced to call the police.
The Deputy Commissioner, Mr Narinderjit Singh, directed Ms Gurpreet Sapra, Additional Deputy Commissioner, to look into the matter and coordinate extending legal assistance to the victims.
Dr Goel, Ms Luxmi Kanta Chawla, BJP MLA, and Dr Inderjit Kaur, president of the All-India Pingalwara Society, met the Deputy Commissioner for extending help in this regard.
Seemingly deranged the boy who was in Pingalwara shouted: “If I ever see her (mother), I will kill her. I never want to set my eyes upon her in my life again”. He alleged that his mother used to beat him on the slightest pretext.
While the neighbours helped the boy to flee on a rickshaw who was given the address of Pingalwara, his sister was later taken away to the same institute with the help of the police.
However, Dimple was still living in the same house. When the TNS team approached the house, she refused to come out. She talked from the top window of the house and showed her bruised arm. She alleged that she was tired as she was beaten up.
For the 15-year Tanya time does not exist. She was obsessively sheltered by the mother. She was so tense that she was not ready to speak. Though some of the relatives of the kids approached Pingalwara for taking them back to the ‘haunted house’ they refused to oblige.
The kids would peep to have a glimpse of the outside world.
Though the Deputy Commissioner refused to divulge the details of the horrible tale yet some neighbours on condition of anonymity said the lady was allegedly deserted by her husband about 15 years ago.
The house where the family had lived for the past decade and a half seemed like a “ghost house” with thick undergrowth. Half of the main gate is covered with wild ivy. The children alleged that there was no electricity or water and very little food to eat and dead dogs for company. The neighbouring cook used to give them morsels of food, some water and
occasionally some newspapers. Despite the extremely adverse circumstances, the boy wants to quickly catch up with life.
Though he is unable to do physical work due to his weak condition, he is optimistic about life. He wants to hurry up with the studies and to stand on his feet. He said he had handed over his sister to Dr Inderjit Kaur who would take care of her studies and marriage.
Dr G.S. Bhalla, Reader, Department of Commerce and Business Management, Guru Nanak Dev University, who informed Tribune News Service about the story said that the credit went to Pingalwara for rescuing the kids.
