Kundapur: Orphaned girl tortured by couple after adoption, rescued
Silvester D’Souza
Daijiworld Media Network – Kundapur
Kundapur, Sep 24: A family who had adopted a girl from Bangalore with the promise of looking after her, allegedly tortured the girl and also denied her basic rights. The incident came to light at Hengavalli gram in Kundapur on Monday September 23 evening.
It is learnt that the family which is into hotel business misused the girl. Sri Devi (name changed), aged 8 years is the girl who was allegedly tortured.
Sri Devi is the daughter of Siddappaji and Bhairavi from Bangalore. When Sri Devi was a child, a fight between her parents had resulted in her mother's death. Shocked by his action, her father Siddappaji committed suicide leaving the child an orphan.
Later, Shobha Shetty, daughter of Ramanna Shetty from Hengavalli and her husband who was running hotel business in Bangalore adopted her. However, it is said that they never took care of her and made her do all the household chores like cleaning, washing clothes, vessels and did not even provide her sufficient food. There were many burnt marks on her body as well.
The girl who was studying in class 1 in Bangalore was made to quit the school as there was no one to work at home. Meanwhile, the hotel business was under loss and hence the family came down to Kundapur, where Shobha Shetty gave birth to a child. Sri Devi said that after the birth of the couple's child, she was ill-treated even more.
Unable to bear the torture from her new 'parents', Sri Devi on Monday morning escaped from the house. She walked for about one kilometer through a wooded path and reached a house where she narrated her tragic story. The family gave her food and informed the Dalit Sangarsha committee state convener Uday Kumar Tallur.
Later, under the guidance of SP Dr Boralingaiah and assisted by The Concerned for Working Children Association and media persons, the girl was rescued taken to Kundapur police station.
On Tuesday September 24, she was produced before the child welfare committee.