Mumbai: Caretaker assaults paralysed senior citizen

Babula Nahak, the caretaker who assaulted Shinde

A 78-year-old retired railway official, who has been bedridden for the last six months due to paralysis, was brutally assaulted by his caretaker in Mira Road. Chandrakant Shinde's face got swollen after Babula Nahak, hired from a Malad-based agency, punched him in his face, ribs and legs. "His medical report reveals that his ribs have fractures and he needs time to undergo surgeries," said his son Dipak, who accused police of not registering an FIR in the sensitive case till the time of going to press.

Chandrakant lives with his wife Madhuri, 74, while Dipak lives in Pen. They felt totally helpless during the incident as the caretaker was heavily intoxicated," Dipak said. "My parents were in a terrible condition. You can imagine how frightened they would have been after the incident, but still my mother called the police emergency number (112) immediately. A police team arrived but it was just an eyewash," Dipak told mid-day.

Chandrakant Shinde recuperating in hospital. Pics/Hanif Patel

"At a time when my parents needed immediate help, the cops from Mira Bhayandar Vasai Virar police were confused over jurisdiction. They were unsure if this matter would come under Kashigaon police station or Kanakia police station," he added. One of the policemen informed Dipak about the incident, after which he reached Mira Road from Pen.

"My priority was to get my father admitted to hospital as he needed urgent medical attention. He was so brutally assaulted that he got two stitches on his face. One of his hands was bleeding and there are multiple bruises all over his body," Dipak told mid-day.

Regarding the inaction of Kanakia police, Dipak said, "I have been requesting the police to register an FIR but they are not showing any interest. It was a brutal assault as the subsequent CT scan report states that his ribs got fractured. The doctors are saying he will have to undergo surgeries at this age."

"I am wondering why the cops are so insensitive in the matter of a senior citizen," he added. Speaking about the reason for the assault, Dipak said while his father is not able to speak at present due to the stitches on his face, his mother told him that Nahak was annoyed due to the work he was assigned.

"Since my father was completely bedridden, he needed full-time help to take care of him. My parents prefer to stay in Mira Road. So, we had hired Nahak as a full-time caretaker through a Malad-based agency - Prakash Nursing Bureau - about 45 days ago," Dipak said.

"My mother told me that Nahak would come to the house drunk for the last four days in a week. His behaviour was abusive. He would always assault my bedridden father and my mother would not say anything as she is too feeble at her age," he added.

Dipak said Nahak was supposed to get Chandrakant medicines on time, care for him, provide food and assist him in eating, change his clothes, help him visit the bathroom, etc. "We had been paying him well for the full-time services," he added.

"On Tuesday night, my mother heard my father screaming for help and when she went into the room she saw Nahak punching him. The situation was horrible and my mother got completely terrified. She mustered her courage and dialled 112. A police team arrived, but they haven't taken any action to date," Dipak said, adding that he has been visiting Kanakia police station since Wednesday but the cops are not taking any action.

When contacted, the Senior Inspector Chandrakant Sarode of Kanakia police station, said, "We are probing the matter. It takes time. Also, the son of elderly man is not here… we will record the victim's or his son's statement and register an FIR." "We will soon file an FIR in this matter, within a day or two and then inform you. Please do not write about this at present," Sarode told this reporter.