BENGALURU: In a scene straight out of a gritty reality show, Kunigal MLA Dr Ranganath Doddaiah was spotted personally scrubbing a mentally challenged man, found lying in a pool of his own faeces and urine, outside Kunigal Taluk Hospital. Eyewitnesses were left speechless at the MLA’s actions after discovering the man in this horrifying condition, abandoned and left to fend for himself.
When Dr Ranganath asked hospital staff for help, they flatly refused, complaining about the stench and expressing disgust at touching the man. Undeterred, the MLA rolled up his sleeves, donned gloves, and gave the man a soap-and-water scrubbing.
After he was cleaned up and clothed, the authorities arranged for his immediate medical care and safe transfer to a professional facility.
Dr Ranganath cautioned that this could just be the tip of the iceberg, and estimated that thousands of such mentally challenged people are left abandoned and helpless across Karnataka — in districts, taluks and the infamous beggars’ colonies in Bengaluru.
Highlighting the need for systemic change, Dr Ranganath declared he would write to the government, demanding the establishment of dedicated rehabilitation centres equipped with basic amenities for such vulnerable individuals.
‘Special squad’
Former judge of the Karnataka High Court Justice M Saldanha said, ‘’Gandhiji had spoken of wiping tears from every eye. There could be hundreds of such helpless and destitute persons across the state. It would be a good idea to set up a squad to identify and house them in a shelter where they can live with dignity.’’
Medical Education Minister Dr Sharan Prakash Patil told The New Indian Express, ‘’Under the National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) scheme, there is a proposal to build shelters for such destitutes in taluks and towns. We will explore the option of setting up shelters to identify and take care of such people.’’