UP: Horrific images of mentally challenged woman chained by family to 'save' her from stone-pelting

A police team rescued a mentally challenged woman chained by her family members in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.

Lucknow, Dec 11: A picture often tells a hundred stories.

If the images of a 90-year-old mentally challenged woman in chains from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh are enough to raise our eyebrows in shock, imagine the plight of the elderly woman who has to endure such an inhumane "punishment" on a daily basis.

According to reports, the nonagenarian woman was chained by her family members in Meerut's Kharkhoda as she is mentally challenged. She has been kept in chains for the last two months before she was rescued by the police on Sunday.

Speaking to ANI, the victim's daughter-in-law stated that the family members have chained her because people trouble her and pelt stones at her.

The daughter-in-law also stated that her mother-in-law is "mentally unstable" and often leaves home without their knowledge. The woman was found chained and locked inside an autorickshaw by a couple of police personnel during their rescue operation.

"Meerut: Mentally challenged woman chained by her family in Kharkhoda; daughter-in-law says, 'we've chained her because people trouble her & pelt stones at her'; Police has also taken cognizance of the case," tweeted ANI.

Meerut: Mentally challenged woman chained by her family in Kharkhoda; daughter-in-law says, 'we've chained her because people trouble her & pelt stones at her'; Police has also taken cognizance of the case. pic.twitter.com/3qKeDfTxlA

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) December 11, 2017

An activist, who works for disabled people, said that there is very less knowledge about disability.

"Mentally challenged people are not mentally ill. There is a vast difference between the two. Mental illness is a medical condition that disrupts a person's thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others, and daily functioning. Mental illness has nothing to do with intelligence. Mental retardation refers to sub-average intellectual functioning.

"Often people suffering from disability and mental illness are treated badly in our society. The Meerut family seems to be poor and they have no knowledge and money as how to treat a patient well. The family needs counselling instead of arrest by the police," added the activist.

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