This weekend, a tweep in India used social media to help a 12-year-old boy, who was forced to take shelter in a Delhi park amid the lockdown, unite with his migrant worker parents stranded in another part of the country.
According to a tweet that went viral, leaving their son with a relative in Delhi, the migrant couple left for their home in Bihar before the lockdown. However, after a family dispute, his uncle threw the boy out. Since his parents were unable to return, and he had nowhere else to go, he ended up staying in a park in Delhi’s Dwarka.
On May 23, Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, Arun Bothra took to Twitter to share how, a tweep came to the rescue, by tagging the India Cares initiative, who united the boy with his parents.
Apparently, Bothra heads the India Cares initiative to help those affected by coronavirus.
A few weeks ago, a Delhi resident who went to feed stray dogs at a park in Dwarka, noticed a boy living there with the strays. Apparently, he would sleep there during the night too. She sent him food for weeks, till her efforts were noticed by Twitter user @Sneha37891894, an animal activist. She found out from the boy that his parents were stranded in Bihar’s Samastipur district.
In a follow up tweet @arunbothra explained: “While feeding stray dogs, a lady Yogita saw the child. She sent food for him for weeks together. Moved by his plight
@Sneha37891894 tweeted about the child tagging @indiacares_2020.”
On May 20, urging India Cares to reunite the boy with his parents, Sneha tweeted: “His parents left before lockdown and left the kid with his uncle. Family dispute happened and the kid is now living in the park. His meals are managed by a friend but streets are not safe.”
Soon the authorities took action. An IPS officer Sanjay Kumar, who is serving as the Inspector general (IG) of the Bihar’s Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), collaborated with India Cares. They arranged tickets for the family to travel from Patna to Delhi. Now, the child has been reunited with the family.
Bothra ended the Twitter thread saying: “Moral of the story: You may not have money or position to help people but tagging someone on Twitter is easy and free.” And, Twitterverse have applauded the authorities for taking fast action.
Tweep @NannuK7 tweeted: “A short story but with a painful memory. Shame on such relatives. They need befitting reply. Look at the audacity to throw a child out in such difficult times. Due to efforts and support of good hearts, the child had an positive end to his dreadful story.”
And, @harmony1960 tweeted: “We have lost our collective conscience. Yet there is a ray of hope when we hear of good Samaritans. The relatives threw the kid out have no humane in them. Covid-19 has brought unspoken misery and death. The government only added to it by not taking care of its people.”
India’s lockdown has been extended till May 31. However, the country is gradually easing restriction in phases.
