New Delhi: Amidst the everyday cycle of new troubles brought by the sudden lockdown announcement in the country, the news of a young man with mental disability who has been reunited with his family after he journeyed from Mayur Vihar in New Delhi to Amritsar in Punjab, comes as a ray of positivity.
Javed, a 21-year-old, had gone missing from his Delhi house on March 22. Tracing him took joint effort and coordination between police in the two states, an NGO and the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD).
Disability rights activist Anjlee Agarwal told The Wire that Javed had been undergoing treatment at GTB Hospital for the last five years. “His father, Lukmaan, is a rickshaw puller by profession, who also worked as a casual labourer. Lukmaan spent the first few days trying to locate the boy on his own. He later informed Pandav Nagar police and got a First Information Report registered,” said Agarwal.
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Lukmaan also got in touch with the DEPwD through a non-government organisation. “The department began a major search for the young man. It was learnt during the investigation that the young man had boarded a train and had reached Amritsar in Punjab. Thereafter DEPwD and the National Trust took up the matter with Punjab State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities and the Deputy Commissioner of Amritsar to trace the boy and make necessary arrangements for bringing back to his home in Delhi,” Agarwal added.
Agarwal further said that with the help of District Administration, District Child Protection Officer, District Social Security Officer and local police, the man was traced amidst the COVID-19 lockdown.
An initial tip off that Javed was at a police station turned out to be false when the NGO contacted its officials in Amritsar. “He was found sleeping outside a grocery shop. Because he had not been on medication for the last few days, his condition had deteriorated considerably,” she added.
In view of the lockdown, the Punjab police was then approached to help transfer Javed to Delhi.
Agarwal said the Secretary in the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities and the CEO of the National Trust then stepped in and arranged for Javed’s return from Amritsar to Delhi by road, despite the state and district borders being under a lockdown. The journey was a swift one.
Javed finally reached home in a Punjab police vehicle at 3 am on Saturday. His medical examination was also done and his reports were found to be clear.