It was an emotional moment for the family of a 40-year-old Mysuru woman, who was under treatment at a rehab hospital in Shimla, when she was reunited with her family on Wednesday.
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and his wife Sadhna expressed happiness on the family reunion. They were present when the woman rejoined her family.
I am very happy that the Mysuru-based woman who unknowingly had reached Shimla two years ago, will be back in her hometown today.
— CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) August 2, 2018
I am grateful to Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister @jairamthakurbjp for meeting her personally and wishing her.
I thank Dr. SanjayPathak and other doctors of HHMHR Shimla for taking care of the Kannadiga woman for the past two years. I also compliment Mysuru DC& officials who on my request made arrangements to bring back her to Mysuru. I have instructed Mysuru DC to extend her all support.
— CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) August 2, 2018
The woman was staying in a mental hospital and rehabilitation centre for two years. It was at a function the Chief Minister came to know about the woman. Efforts were made to contact her family members through government of Karnataka, an official statement said.
After the family reunion, the Chief Minister said the language and health of the woman were the biggest hindrance in tracing her family. But the media played a major role in this family reunion.
It was reported that 40-year-old Saraswathi from Makanahalli village in Mysuru district went missing about two years ago when she came to Bengaluru to work in a garment factory.
She had reportedly reached Himachal Pradesh's Kangra and was later admitted to the Himachal Hospital of Mental Health and Rehabilitation in Shimla for treatment in June 2016.
"She could not contact her family as she faced language problem in Himachal and was unable to recall how she reached there," the Karnataka government said in a statement on July 23.
Saraswathi was in the mental health facility in Shimla for over two years. She could not contact her family due to issues in communicating with the hospital staff due to the language barrier. She was also unable to recall how she reached there.
Swathi Chandrashekar, a reporter for TV5 in in Delhi had met the Chief Minister during his visit there and requested him to bring her back to Mysuru. Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy had directed the Mysuru Deputy Commissioner to facilitate her return and provide necessary treatment and shelter for her.
With inputs from IANS