‘MOWGLI GIRL’ MAY NOT HAVE BEEN RAISED BY MONKEYS: DOCS
The 10-year-old child, who became famous as Mowgli girl after being found in the Katarniaghat forest range in Bahraich over two months ago, needs psychiatric evaluation and treatment, doctors treating her here have said.
She was admitted to Bahraich district hospital on January 25. She is now under observation in an isolation ward.
“The girl might have been left in the jungle by her parents owing to her mental status. But it was probably not long before a Dial 100 team found her. Being brought up among monkeys seems absurd,” said Dr KK Verma, the hospital’s paediatrician.
Sarbajeet Yadav, the head constable who first spotted the girl, said, “She was found near Khapda forest outpost around seven in the evening with just innerwear on. But there were no monkeys around. She refused to come with us initially, but the cold weather and, perhaps hunger, made her agree.”
Divisional forest officer Gyan Praksh Singh said, “It’s not possible that a girl spends years in forest and no staff or hundreds of cameras (installed for security and animal census) notice her.” “She might have been dropped here sometime before being spotted by the patrol team.”
As people come in droves to see the girl in hospital, she tries to hide beneath her bed to avoid them. Now named ‘Van Durga’, the girl reluctantly follows instructions of the hospital’s matron M Bhalla and sanitation worker Renu, who have been with her since her first day here.
She mostly eats fruits and chapattis, which is served to hospital patients. She also likes the biscuits offered by attendants of other patients in the isolation ward. She enjoys to walk a while with Renu.
“Her wounds have healed. No medication is being given now. She has also learned to mumble a bit when hungry,” said Renu.
An Air India flight from Delhi to Kolkata was delayed by 39 minutes on Friday after a Trinamool Congress MP Dola Sen allegedly triggered a ruckus on board over change of seats.
Sources said the Air India staff had requested Sen, a Rajya Sabha member, to shift her mother from the emergency exit, but the MP refused.
Sen had booked the flight through online portal and claimed that she had paid for the front row.
“But boarding card was issued for the 11th row, which was the emergency exit. Safety regulations do not allow any elderly people on wheel chair to sit next to the emergency exit as it can cause hindrance in case of an emergency. In the booking ticket also it was not mentioned that the passenger would carry a wheelchair,” said an Air India official.
The incident came close on the heels of Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad landing in the eye of the storm after allegedly assaulting an Air India staffer on board.
He was grounded by six airlines, and had to express regret in a letter to the civil aviation minister in the face of fierce criticism.
Air India later lifted the flight ban on him following the Centre’s intervention.
“Sen was travelling with two others and the cabin crew told her about the safety regulation. But she refused to change the seat. As the flight was getting delayed, the pilot stepped in and offered a business class seat against the wheel chair-bound seat. But she did not agree and then to avoid delay, the pilot allowed them to sit on the emergency row,” the official added.
The flight got delayed by 39 minutes as the TMC leader wanted a written assurance that no one would blame her for the delay. Sources said that other passengers objected citing the example of Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad, who had assaulted an Air India manager last month.