India is a country of contrasts. On one hand, we pride ourselves for respecting our elders and touching their feet in reverence. And on the other, it is not uncommon to find people abusing and abandoning parents instead of caring for them in their old age. To rectify the situation, the Bihar government has introduced a law stating that cruelty against parents can land the children in jail. But for elderly couples in other states, the struggle is ongoing just like this one in Maharashtra.
71-year-old Brijesh Soni and 69-year-old Chamelidevi Soni lived in Bhagwandin Kurmi Chawl, Carter Road, Borivali, with their son Pradip, daughter Seema and daughter-in-law Chandani and ran a tea shop from home.
In August 2016, their son turned them and their daughter out of the house. With nowhere else to go, Mr. Soni sat at platform 10 of Borivali station and Mrs. Soni outside a Shiva temple at the mercy of handouts from strangers or relatives.
Mumbai Mirror quoted Mr. Soni saying,
“He used to be very caring. I never thought he would turn out to be so evil. He first changed the electricity bill to his name and then he wanted all the money from our tea shop. When we refused, he started beating us frequently. He used to drag me out on to the road.”
They didn’t have the means to hire a lawyer or file a court case, so they visited government offices for help. There they found out about the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007.
The couple registered a complaint and the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) ordered the son to vacate the premises in October 2017 and then again in July 2018. Unfortunately, the order was not implemented. After much struggle, on June 18, the couple regained possession of their home. Police officials revealed,
“Pradip and Chandani are sent to judicial custody till July 1. They tried to stop the government officials of tribunal and police from doing their duty.”
Mr. Soni wants nothing to do with Pradip saying, “My son is dead to me now.” His wife feels the same, “We don’t want any money from him; just tell him to stay away.”
We hope that the court gives adequate punishment to the son for assaulting his aged parents and obstructing the law.