Firozabad

For 36 years, Sapna Jain, now 53, was kept shackled in chain in a dark, dingy room by her father who believed that she was 'mentally ill.' Water was thrown at her so that she could take a 'bath' and food was slid to her from beneath the door.

BJP MLA from Hathras, Anjula Mahaur was informed of Sapna's plight by members of local NGO Sewa Bharti and she finally helped in rescuing the woman. Sapna's father, Girish Chand, had passed away recently and a group of women from the organisation went to examine the situation after that.

Nirmala Singh, a senior member of Sewa Bharti, said, "We found her in a very bad condition. She was wearing filthy clothes with dirt all over. NGO members bathed her and got her some clean clothes." The MLA, meanwhile, spoke to Sapna's family and got her shifted to a mental health facility in Agra. Anjula Mauhar said, "Sapna was imprisoned as a minor. She was chained inside a dingy room for most of her life and had not seen the outside world after the age of 17.

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I knew something needed to be done once I heard about this." Gyanendra Singh, a doctor, who examined her, said, "Her medical tests are being conducted. We are hopeful that she will recover soon, maybe within a few weeks." Sapna's family refused to comment on Sapna and her plight.