RAIPUR: Moved by the distress of a girl from the tribal community who lost her house and books in a flash flood, Bollywood actor Sonu Sood promised to rebuild her house and to provide a new set of books.
Anjali's house was wrecked in heavy rains at Komla village in strife-torn Bijapur district, about 400 km south of Raipur. The district administration too reached out to alleviate her anguish.
Along with her parents and other villagers, she had to shift to safer areas at Mingachal, some five kilometers away from Komla, during the intervening night of August 15-16.
On her return, a couple of days later, she was shocked to find her home collapsed and the books kept on a bamboo rack lying submerged in muddy water.
After completing her Class 12, she was preparing for the pre-agricultural test (PAT).
On finding out the devastation of her house, she burst into tears -- which was captured on video and shared on Twitter by local resident Mukesh Chandrakar who also tagged Sonu Sood in the post.
The actor tweeted assurance to the girl by offering to help her get new books and a house.
The Bijapur district administration swung into action after her video had gone viral on social media.
“Our procedural step to assist her didn’t come as a reaction to any social media or the actor’s response. We acted promptly.
It’s sheer coincidence that our financial assistance and the support pledged by Sonu Sood happened simultaneously.
She was given a cheque of Rs 1,01,900 and a bag for new books, which were delivered to the girl.
As Bijapur remains a left-wing extremism affected area, the incessant rains for the past few days brought a demanding task for the administration. Many areas have been terribly affected,” said Ritesh Kumar Agrawal, Bijapur collector.
Bijapur Congress MLA Vikram Mandavi along with other officials also visited the girl offering her every possible help for her education and handed over the cheque. Civilians too came forward with their support.