By IANS,
Bhubaneswar : Family members in an Orissa village have chained a man for the past 12 years to prevent him from committing suicide, the police said Wednesday.
Prasanta Behera, 40, is chained to a cot in his house in village Anantpur in Kendrapada district, 132 kms from here, since 1996, Satish Roy, a police officer, told IANS.
According to the officer, Prasanta, a father of two, has allegedly attempted suicide several times after his brother Prabhat was killed fighting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir 12 years ago.
Prabhat was a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) trooper and was posted in the insurgency hit Kashmir.
“Prasanta started behaving abnormally soon after hearing the news of his brother’s death,” said Roy, citing family members.
He tried to end his life many times and even attempted to jump into a well or in front of speeding vehicles.
His family then fastened one of his legs to a chain and tied it to a cot. The family members also said they took him to doctors for a treatment but his suicidal tendencies remained unchanged, Roy said.
“Prasanta remains tied to the chain even when he takes food or goes to toilet,” said Roy who visited his house Wednesday.
“I spoke to him and he responded well,” Roy said. “I believe if he gets treatment, he will be fine.”
The police is also seeking assistance from voluntary organisations to help Prasanta recover.