Mangalore : A Cry in the Neighbourhood
Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore
Mangalore, Feb 20 : These days when Mangaloreans, especially those living in apartments, are not aware who their next door neighbour is, the Monkey Stand in Mangaladevi has noticed something unusual in their neighbourhood in past six months. The one-storyed independent house here named “We Care Family Society for old aged and psycho social rehabilitation Services”, Mangalore, claims itself as a charitable institution. But there is something suspicious about the house.
According to the neighbours, there are about 16 to 19 inmates at this so called charity home. But none of the inmates except the caretakers are visible to the outsiders, making people wonder whether they are immobile or are confined to their beds by the caretakers, or what actually is going on here .
But what the neighbours complain about is the crying, howling and shouts for help and loud threatening (male) voices that used to emanate from the house which the neighbours could hear every day. One of the neighbours says that the crying and howling is usually during lunch, evening and dinner times and one could clearly hear the loud beating sound followed by the wailing of the inmates. There are believed to be four caretakers, two girls and two ladies apart from the Manager. It is said that it is these young girls who beat the inmates mercilessly.
Neighbours confided that that one of neighbours who stays close-by to the premises by name Prem D’Sa had complained to the police in January this year after he saw a naked man (one of the inmates) being thrown into the garage and the loud noise of his falling down. The police came to the premises and after scrutinizing gave a clean chit saying “the institute was doing a noble service of caring for the sick and the old”. It seems the caretaker/Manager of the house told the police that the said inmate had thrown a lock to his forehead and that is why he was put out in the garage as a precautionary measure.
Though the cries and the waiting of “aiyo aiyo” has stopped after this complaint this reporter who went to the area about 2 pm could hear the terrorizing male voice shouting at one of the caretakers of the house. I could hear the male voice shouting “ elli sayilikke hogiddiya” (where did you go to die) and the woman responds she had gone to put the clothes for drying. This menacing voice of the man continued for some more time but the matter was not audible as they moved to the other side. It seems he speaks frighteningly to the older carekaters. Neighbours say this is the milder side of the entire sordid saga. What they hear and see is 100 times more menacing than this.
Neighbours also say that the inmates are being charged up to Rs. 10,000/- per month . One of the neighbours, who did not want to be identified says that initially it was a girls’ hostel which subsequently became an “Ashram”. “When people started coming and asking where the ashram is located in this vicinity we used to direct them to Ramakrishna Ashram. But only later when they said home for the aged we realized they were searching for this and use to direct them to this house. Since there is no board people used to get confused and ask us”, says a neighbor, we can see everything from the first floor of his house. Neighbours suspect that the Ashram or the charity home has a hand at the police station which is why they carry on with such nefarious activities with impunity. Though the neighbours tried to convince the local caretaker (the owner of the house is abroad) about the goings on , he feigned innocence about the whole thing.
If there are 16 to 19 inmates who are sick and if they are not at all allowed to come out of the four walls of their house, or allowed to walk a few steps a day, one can imagine the condition of these patients or inmates. They will turn into cabbage within no time and with the kind of physical and mental torture, they are sure to turn into rogues.