Bokaro: A 81-year-old elderly man named Indradev Prasad, who had retired from his job at Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL), was found in a deplorable condition in his home in Sector-9 of the township. He had been surviving on only biscuits for weeks and had no strength to remove the worms creeping on his body or even sit up.
Luckily, his neighbours and a social organization came to his aid and took him to an Old Age Home for care and medical examination. It was discovered that Prasad had no contact with his family and had been abandoned by them.
Abandoned-
Prasad had a happy life with his wife and three daughters until his wife left him, taking all his savings with her. His daughters also abandoned him, leaving him to live a miserable life. Despite finding a bundle of notes totaling one lakh eight thousand rupees in Prasad’s house, none of his daughters took responsibility for his care.
Worms crawling on his body-
Jai Sinha, a trustee of Samshan Ghat Kali Mandir, described the scene in Prasad’s home as distressing. They found him lying weak and helpless in his room, wearing dirty clothes with worms crawling on his body.
He also said that “the room was filled with a putrefying smell, and there were biscuits wrappers strewn around. They used Dettol to remove the worms, gave him clean clothes, and shifted him to an ambulance to take him to the Old Age Home”.
Elderly people abandoned by their families-
The President of Helping Hand, Gopal Murarka, who owned the Old Age Home (Ashram), expressed his sadness about Prasad’s plight. He called it a reminder of the plight of many elderly people who are abandoned by their families and left to fend for themselves.
Murarka urged society to take better care of its senior citizens and ensure that they are not left to suffer alone. “At present, Indradev Prasad his recovering well in Ashram,” said Murarka.
Incident highlight neglected face of society-
This story highlights the vulnerability of elderly people who have been abandoned by their families and left to fend for themselves. It is a sad reminder that many elderly people in society face neglect and mistreatment.
It is imperative that society takes responsibility for its senior citizens and ensures that they are treated with dignity and respect in their old age.
