PLIGHT AT SITE
According to police personnel ...
* The woman was in a very sorry state and there were no proper facilities available to her
* She was sleeping under a table and the room had no light
* The condition of room and the facilities were very bad
* No human would be able to live in such conditions and that too, for about 11 years
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PONDA: In yet another shocking incident, a 50-yr-old woman was rescued on Tuesday afternoon after being reportedly confined to a room for about 11 years in Talaulim-Ponda.
This is the fourth incident in the past one year where a person has been confined in inhumane conditions for a prolonged period.
According to reports, authorities and an NGO rescued the woman, identified as Rajeshri Phadate and married to Rajendra Phadate from Durbhat, from the room after she was allegedly confined for 11 years.
Panaji Woman Cell PSI Reema Naik along with constable Vasu Sawant, Rajan Chandgadkar and Puja Joshi went to the house along with members of a victim assistance unit and NGO 'Scan Goa' volunteers and found the woman living in inhuman conditions.
“The woman was in a very sorry state and there were no proper facilities available to her. She was sleeping under a table and the room had no light. The condition of room and the facilities were very bad. No human would be able to live in such conditions and that too, for about 11 years,” said a police personnel.
“Our rescue team had a tough time while rescuing her and it took her time to respond to us,” the police added.
The woman was later taken to the Sub District Hospital (SDH) at Ponda for a checkup and was later shifted to the Institute of Psychiatry & Human Behaviour (IPHB) at Bambolim.
Incidentally, there was no ambulance available at the SDH and the police was forced to take her in a police jeep at about 7.30 pm, thereby delaying the process.
Earlier in July 2017, Goa Police rescued a woman in her 50's who was allegedly confined under inhuman conditions in a small room at her maternal house in Candolim for about 15 years.
Later in October, an 87 year-old man was rescued from a small windowless room in front of his own home in St Cruz, after being confined in the room for about two years.
Then in February, another shocking incident came to light in Sakhali, after the NGO 'Savera' along with Bicholim police rescued the 47-year-old women who was held captive in a room at Bhandarwada-Sakhali for about 25 years.
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Done nothing wrong, provided
her basic needs, says husband
PONDA: Refuting claims that he had subjected his wife to inhumane conditions in a room for 11 years, the husband insisted that he had done nothing wrong and had provided for her basic needs.
Speaking to The Goan, Rajendra Phadate said he had married Rajeshri around 15 years ago, but said she had fallen ill two months later.
"For the first five years of our marriage, I took care of her as she was unable to walk. I even took her to a doctor and treatment was done. I may have lost those medical papers, but I did not ignore her well-being.”
“However, the situation forced me to get married a second time. I have a son from my second wife. Although I remarried, I did not ignore Rajeshri. After my second marriage, I shifted to rented premises in Kavale, but never left her hungry. I visited her everyday and even provided her food. Locals are aware about this,” said Phadate.
Claiming that her maternal family is from Canacona, Phadate said his in-laws had never visited her at Talaulim to enquire about her health.
"She had parents, two brothers and a sister, but they never came to visit her. I have done nothing wrong. I have taken her care and used to provide her with food everyday. The only problem was to clean her as she could not stand,” Phadate told The Goan.
Rejecting allegations that he had confined her, Phadate replied: “The room she was staying in was never locked, but only latched from the outside.”
Phadate, who was present in the hospital, was detained by police for further investigations.
