Mercy is a myth here: Alarming state of the abandoned elderly living on alms

People in Ganagapur of Afzalpur taluk in the district claimed that an average of 8-10 aged and mentally ill people come to the Dattatreya temple

The last rites of 52 abandoned elderly persons have been performed by the Ganagapur Dattatreya Temple Trust after their death since January 2021.

It took the horrific incident of dogs eating away the dead body of one such abandoned woman to bring to light the plight of these orphans, many of them mentally ill, at the pilgrim centre.

Also Read: Stray dogs eat away corpse of abandoned woman at pilgrim centre in Karnataka

People in Ganagapur of Afzalpur taluk in the district claimed that an average of 8-10 aged and mentally ill people come to the temple every day after being abused by family members.

Many families, especially from Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, leave their aged people at the temple with a belief that God will cure their ailments.

Residents said most of these families can't afford to look after their elderly due to acute poverty. Temple authorities said sometimes they conduct funerals of 2-3 abandoned people in a week.

Those abandoned here survive on the food served by devotees visiting the place.

They take shelter on the roadside near the temple. Doctors at the government hospital in the village do not provide proper treatment to these ailing elderly people.

Authorities have failed to initiate measures despite pleas made by residents to build an old-age home near the temple.

"There is heavy rush of devotees on the days of full moon and new moon. The temple authorities get crores of rupees from devotees. But they haven't bothered to build an old-age home. They only perform the last rites of the dead. They have not provided even basic facilities like drinking water and toilet facilities for those abandoned," Rakesh Vadigeri, a resident, told DH.

Two of the four buildings meant for the accommodation of devotees here are on the verge of collapse as they are more than 50 years ago.

The temple authorities have submitted a proposal to the government for constructing new accommodations for devotees by demolishing old ones. But it has no plan to build a rehab centre for the abandoned.

The Rs 10-crore grant sanctioned by B S Yediyurappa when he was CM has not yet released due to tussle among local politicians.

"I have been living outside the temple for more than a decade as my children have abandoned me. The devotees and residents provide me clothes and food. We need proper medical care as most of us suffer from illnesses," 73-year-old Mohan Harimali of Solapur told DH.

The temple trust executive officer Namdev Rathod said more than 20 abandoned people had been shifted to an old-age home in Kalaburagi.

"We try to contact their relatives in the event of their death. If they are not available, we perform their last rites," he added.

Deputy commissioner Yashwant Gurukar said a survey will be conducted to identify the elderly who have been abandoned. They will be shifted to old-age homes after providing medical care, he added.