PANAJI
Old Goa Police along with NGO Savera rescued the senior citizen, Sadanand Vaigankar, from deplorable conditions of a windowless room in front of his own residence. The incident came to light after a Gujarati acquaintance of Vaigankar family, Jagdish, raised an alarm.
After filing a complaint before the Old Goa Police, Jagdish sought help from Tara Kerkar of NGO Savera. "He told us that he used to visit the house for some vehicle repairs. However, over the last two years, the old man had ceased to appear before him. As the family failed to provide satisfactory responses to his queries, Jagdish complained to the police and sought help from us," Savera's Kerkar informed.
Vaigankar has two sons and three daughters. He lived with his younger son at the house, while his elder son lived separately. "We learnt that some two years ago, the younger son and his wife confined the father in a small windowless room in front of the house. The elder son visited infrequently. Both the sons treated their father badly," Kerkar said adding that one of the three daughters has filed a complaint before the Deputy Collector (North) against her own brothers for ill-treatment of their elderly father.
Once the rescue team brought Vaigankar out of the four walls of the room, a 108 ambulance was summoned and he was admitted to Goa Medical College and Hospital, Bambolim. The doctors at GMC have confirmed that his vitals are normal. However, he will be kept under observation pending some further tests to be conducted at GMC.
Condemning the rise in such inhuman incidents, Kerkar has sought strict action and registration of an FIR against Vaigankar's two sons for the ill-treatment meted out by them to their own father.
Meanwhile, Old Goa Police disclosed that a preliminary enquiry has been launched after the incident came to light and that at this stage, possible witnesses are being called in for recording of their statement.
