Hungry, homeless six-year-old found tied up in Baitadi

By Gokarna Dayal,Baitadi, Mar.10: A six-year-old girl, who should be frolicking with her friends as freely as a bird in the sky, was found tied up with a rope.  Locked up in a dark room for three years, Karishma Bhatta has now been brought to the courtyard of her house, enabling her to see light for the first time in years.    

The girl's father fell from a tree and broke his hip. Without a home to stay in, he has been sleeping in a neighbour's shed. The girl was tied like an animal at the window of the neighbour's house citing her poor mental condition. 

This heart-wrenching scene was from Dasharathchand Municipality-5, Nauhat village of Baitadi. Suresh Bhatta, the girl's 30-year-old father, fell from a tree two months ago and broke his hip. Her mother Duradevi Bhatta said that her daughter was tied up, saying she could not speak and frequently ran away from home. She said that her husband could not get proper treatment due to their dire financial condition. 

"The mental condition of my only daughter is not good. We are taking shelter in a neighbour’s house," said Duradevi. 

According to the family, the girl had pneumonia when she was six months old, and she was taken to Pithauragadh in India for treatment, but the girl could not speak.

Janaki Bhatt, 65, a neighbour of the girl, said that she was kept in a dark room for three years as there was no one in the family to care for the girl.   She said that she brought the girl from the room to the yard because the pain the child was in was too much for her to bear. 

 "The poor girl did not receive proper treatment. Her parents don't have a house to live in and food to eat," said Janaki, another neighbour. 

The Royal Hill Youth Club, located in Dasharatchand Municipality-4, has provided food to the girl's family. 

"The dire condition of the girl made many people emotional," said Mohit Bhandari of the Royal Hill Youth Club. 

"A six-year-old girl was tied up like an animal when she should be playing with her friends. We found that the family had neither food to eat nor money for treatment. From the amount collected by playing Holi, we have arranged food for them which will be sufficient for a few months," said Bhandari. 

Participating in the food distribution programme, Keshav Lekhak, ward chairman of Dasharathchand Municipality-5, said that the family members could not afford the treatment of the girl although the doctors had advised for treatment. 

"Wards have no right to give budget directly.

The girl was taken to the hospital as she needed a written document from a doctor to make a disability identity card. Now, the girl will get the disabled allowance from the ward office,” said Lekhak. 

Suresh Bhatta, the father, expressed his pain that he was compelled to lie on the bed, and no one came to the aid of his daughter. Even god is cruel to the poor, he lamented. 

Duradevi Bhatt, the mother, said that although she desperately sought treatment for her daughter, she could not take her anywhere due to the lack of money. She is pleading for help from a good Samaritan.