Mentally ill woman found in Maharashtra’s Gondia reunited with kin in Bangladesh: ‘it was about helping her find herself again’

A mentally ill woman from Bangladesh's Noakhali, who had been found wandering in a village in Maharashtra's Gondia district last year, was reunited with her family earlier this month following months-long efforts by authorities and social workers in Nagpur.The woman, who is in her mid-thirties and appeared to be mentally ill, was found by residents of Pujari Tola village in Gondia. They informed the Rawanwadi police which took her into custody on April 30, 2023, according to Shashikiran Nawkar, Assistant Police Inspector, Rawanwadi police station. She was later briefly admitted to the psychiatric ward of a local hospital before being transferred to the Regional Mental Hospital (RMH) in Nagpur.

- GNS News Agency

At RMH, the woman came under the care of Kunda Bidkar, a Samaj Seva Adhikshak (social service superintendent), who proved crucial in the journey back to her identity. “In the beginning, she didn’t speak at all. She would walk out of the ward or sit quietly in corners. But with continued treatment, after about four months, she began to respond in single words,” said Bidkar.