Mentally ill chained actress rescued, sent for treatment

The district administration of Kendrapara today shifted a mentally deranged chained stage actress to government-run mental health institute in Cuttack for treatment.

The parents of the sick actress had put her in chains as she often displayed into abnormal and violent behaviour. The sick woman was shifted to Cuttack for psychiatric treatment.

The administration took up the case in a humanitarian gesture because her parents were impoverished. The cost of treatment is being borne by the district administration from the District Red Cross Society funds.

The Chief District Medical Officer has been directed to keep health update of the sick woman, said Kendrapara Collector, Reghu G.

Not long back, her good looks and brilliant character portrayal on stage won her both money and accolades. But with destiny playing cruel joke upon her, the 25-year-old tribal woman from seaside Baraja village in Kendrapara district is now in chains!

The village actress who performed lead roles in drama troupes and operas is hit by psychiatric disorder. And abject poverty has forced impoverished parents to chain their daughter for nearly three years, as the cost of treating the psychiatric disorder was too exorbitant on their part.

"I am a landless person. I toil in the field to earn livelihood. With my limited resources, I tried my level best to treat her. But cost of treatment was too high. Due to lack of medication, her condition aggravated. We are now forced to put her in chains as she is turning violent," said Siba Lodha Sasmal, father of the mentally-ill woman.

The rights activists, however, maintained that a lunatic man has the right for a decent living. In such cases, the government agencies are duty bound to shoulder the responsibility of extending medical aid to these people and rescue them from the ignominy of 'caged animal', said rights activist Binayak Swain.