Indore (Madhya Pradesh): A 30-year-old mentally ill man, who had been chained for years by his family members, was rescued with the help of NGO ‘Pravesh’ and the police on Friday and admitted to a mental hospital in the district.
The man has been identified as Zaid Pathan, and he was found chained at a mosque located in front of Khajrana police station. Upon receiving information, Rupali Jain, the Chairman of the NGO, arrived with her team to rescue the man.
Meanwhile, the man’s mother gathered a crowd and protested against the rescue, attempting to stop the team from taking her son away. A police team was called to the scene, and once they arrived, the man’s chains were removed, and he was subsequently admitted to the hospital.
“A person named Zaid, aged around 30 years old, tied in chains for the last six to eight years was rescued yesterday. He used to live in the same condition with chains throughout the year. We came to know from the people that Zaid is mentally unstable as a result of which his mother kept him in chains. She used to feed him by begging and sometimes keep him hungry. People who run cart shops nearby used to give him food items,” Jain told ANI.
The NGO chairman explained that Zaid’s mother believed Allah resided in her son, which led to his condition. She further shared that Zaid had been a talented singer in his childhood, but after he was hit on the head by a brick at the age of nine, his mental health deteriorated.
“The family did not consult with doctors about his mental health due to superstition. With time, he became violent; children threw stones at him which led to the worsening of his mental condition. When he became more violent, his mother started chaining him. She believed that if he is tied near dargah then Allah will cure him,” NGO chairman Jain said.
She also mentioned that Zaid had been chained near the wall of the mosque in front of Khajrana police station for the last two years. Prior to that, he was chained at Karbala Ground in the city for four years.
Meanwhile, additional DCP, Zone 2 Amrendra Singh confirmed the incident, stating, “A 30-year-old man, Zaid Pathan, who is mentally challenged, had been chained by his family for several years near a dargah in front of Khajrana police station. When he wasn’t chained, he became violent due to his mental illness.”
