Bahraich’s ‘jungle girl’ to be sent to shelter home

LUCKNOW: A day after TOI reported how NGOs had shunned the `jungle-girl', Drishti Samajik Sansthan, a shelter home for mentally challenged destitute and children, came forward to adopt the girl. The ten-year old will be sent to Lucknow to her new home on Saturday after Child Welfare Committee approved sending the girl to the shelter home.
She has been named `Puja' by the committee.The committee has also mentioned `unknown' against her name.
Meanwhile, on Friday, district hospital, Bahraich, had locked the channel-gate to keep the unwanted crowd outside. "We have a limited staff and it was getting difficult for us to control the crowd that was coming to see the girl," said CMS, district hospital, Bahraich, Dr DK Singh.
Head of the Psychiatry department, KGMU, Prok PK Dalal also visited the Bahraich district hospital to examine the girl. When asked if the girl is deaf and dumb since birth, CMS said, "It might appear but we have seen her mumble for water in the hospital." The police and the hospital authorities denied there is any evidence of girl been brought up by monkeys.
Ever since she caught the attention of local media, visitors have make a beeline to the hospital to see the ‘wonder-child’. Late on Thursday evening when the district magistrate visited the hospital to enquire about the girl, he named her `van durga' as she was rescued from the forest. "We needed some name for her to be put on hospital papers but we never knew her name would get even more people to the hospital," said the doctor.
On Friday, an old woman visited the girl and before anybody in the hospital could know she started worshipping the girl for being a `van durga'. She even put offerings at her feet. Not only that, a hospital staff recalls how stray monkeys who entered the hospital compound one day day got more attention than usual.
"Patients and visitors started saying they (monkeys) had come to see the girl is she is happy and safe," said the staff. The girl has been admitted in the district hospital since January 25. The girl is mentally challenged and is being looked after by a woman staff of the hospital.
The girl was first discovered by firewood-collectors on Bahraich-Lakhimpur highway in the forests of Motipur, Katarniaghat wildlife sanctuary. They had informed UP-100. She was brought to Motipur police station and, on the directions of `baal suraksha grih', was admitted to the district hospital for treatment. She was extremely malnourished when rescued.
She was scared of light. She would litter her food on the floor and take it directly into her mouth without using her hands. In two months' time she has been toilet-trained but still if her caretaker gets late to attend to her in the morning, she would dirty her bed.