20-year-old mentally ill youth chained for 8 years

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Feb 9:

In a shocking incident, a 20-year-old mentally ill youth has been kept in chains for the last eight years by his parents in a slum in Subhas Nagar near Dumduma in Odisha capital.

Warned and threatened by neighbours who were repeatedly harassed by Santa, his poor parents were forced to chain both the legs of the boy and lock it.

Kalucharan Barik, who used to earn a living from his traditional occupation, and his wife Laxmi Barik had tried to get their son treated but to no avail.

Santa was very much attached to his father. However, Kalucharan passed away last month due to kidney failure. Now, Santa is entirely dependent on his mother for his day-to-day activities. His mother is desperate for help from government or NGOs as both of them are forced to survive on a government pension of meager Rs 300 a month.

His elder brother has recently married and is unable to provide for his mother and brother.