Mysuru: For more than two years, Padma who was
mentally challenged, a native of Kamalapura in Periyapatna taluk in Mysuru has been stuck in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. The family members of Padma have been anxiously awaiting her return for a very long time. Now, chief minister
HD Kumaraswamy has taken an interest in ensuring her return home.
Padma has been at the Himachal Hospital of Mental Health and Rehabilitation (HHMHR) for the past two years. Officials at HHMHR said that she was sent to the hospital from a place called Tanda in Himachal Pradesh in 2016, and has been undergoing treatment at the facility since. Her family members learnt that Padma was in Shimla after a video of her talking in Kannada went viral on social media. On recognising Padma, her family members brought the problem to the notice of the district administration. They have been unable to get her back to Mysuru owing to financial difficulties.
Deputy commissioner Abhiram G Sankar promised the family of making all attempts to get her back home. Padma reportedly went into depression after her husband inexplicably left her a few years into their marriage. Since Padma’s mother was battling a cardiac problem, her family members failed to notice the former’s mental distress. Padma is believed to have boarded a train to Chandigarh, and subsequently landed in Tanda in Himachal Pradesh, before she was sent to HHMHR.
“Our team is ready to get Padma back to Mysuru. We will send a proposal to the health and family welfare department on Tuesday. The chief minister’s office is also keenly following the issue. Once the team is approved, it will leave for Shimla within the next four or five days. We will also try to send one of Padma’s family members along with the team. About giving her a site or house, we will talk to the gram panchayat about it. For now, our top priority is to get Padma back home,” Sankar told TOI.
- R Uday Kumar
