Gadag district, Karnataka: After being chained for 15 years, a mentally unstable man was today rescued by Karnataka Social Welfare Department from a village in Ron taluk. Sharanappa was confined by his family after they started receiving complaints about him from fellow villagers.
He was shackled in iron chains and was a teenager when confined. According to sources in the Social Welfare department, Sharanappa was a normal young boy who got affected after failing 10th grade and became unstable, reports India Today.
Instead of seeking medical aid, Sharanappa’s mother took help from the local villagers to handcuff him and shackle his legs when he reportedly started showing abnormal behaviour.
Sharanappa belongs to a Dalit family and his sister was forced to become a Devadasi (a banned practice) as she was the only one to earn in the family.
The local government officials have decided to rehabilitate both of them and provide them with the medical treatment.
Social activists have appealed to the government to send officials to make sure no girl is forced to live under the outlawed practice of Devdasi. They have also requested the government to increase awareness about medical illnesses and their treatment.