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Vashi2Panvel.com: Navi Mumbai: November 29: Little Deepika Ratan, the kid for whom the police station was heaven after the hellish treatment from her parents, has now found a home of sorts. In accordance with the HC’s directive, Deepika is now housed at Vatsalya Balashram in Sanpada, Navi Mumbai.

Deepika’s father, Harvilas (37), a laboratory assistant at Bharatiya Vidyapeeth, has been arrested and charged with causing grievous hurt, wrongful confinement and abandonment of a child less than 12 years of age. The mother has also been booked under the same charges but is currently in Ludhiana with her two other children. She will only be arrested when she returns. Says, Inspector Shamsher Pathan of Kalamboli Police station, who has been handling Deepika’s case, “A charge sheet has not been filed as yet. Nor has the mother returned from Ludhiana, but Deepika is now at Vatsalya in Sanpada.”

But in the midst of all this, Deepika had been sent to a remand home in Bhiwandi. Apparently, the treatment of the child was not satisfactory there. Says Narayan Bhagwat, one of the trustees of Vatsalya Trust, “Prior to 22nd November, Deepika was sent to a remand home in Bhiwandi. But the place did not seem suitable and hence a directive was issued to send her to us. She is here now and quite happy.”

And indeed, for Deepika, the children’s home seems to be happy place to live in. Wearing imitation jewellery borrowed from her newly made friends, pink lipstick and make-up on her face, Deepika is all set to welcome her best friend, Inspector Pathan. As Pathan remarks about how beautiful she is looking, Deepika blushes, beet red and acts way to shy to answer questions.

“Deepika is a very intelligent and bold girl. But because of the trauma she has undergone, it will take her atleast 2-3 weeks to begin to feel normal again. Till then it would be better if she is not made to field questions from the media, as that would only make her re-live all those painful moments. Nevertheless, her recovery is fantastic as compared to other girls who have endured similar problems,” says Bhagwat.

Deepika is currently undergoing counselling and psychotherapy in the balashram to help her out of the ordeal. But in the process she has shown a great improvement. “Deepika mixes well with all the children here and is a bright kid. There are not much behavioural problems as is usually found in children in such cases, though, she behaves a little differently at night before going to sleep, “ says, Bhagwat.

As for Inspector Pathan, he is on top of the world. “I’m extremely happy about the way she has progressed. But I think I am coming in the way of her progress. She has been spoilt with love in the police station, but if I keep coming and meeting her and talking to her, she will expect this kind of favoured treatment always, which is not fair to the other kids here. So I will have to restrain myself,” he sighs.

Tomorrow, Deepika will start going to a new school and Pathan is excited about it. “Yes I will be here and will drop her to school too. I’m going to see over all the proceedings,” he beams.


Lakshmi Subramanian