Blind, Mute Teen Loses Dad To COVID-19; Mom Kills Herself Days Later

A 16-year-old blind and mute boy in the Indian state of Haryana has been placed under the custody of the state government after he lost his adoptive father to COVID-19 and his adoptive mother died by suicide, officials said.

The teen, identified as Naman from the city Faridabad, is now at a childcare institute in Gurugram, the Times of India first reported.

Naman's childless parents were in their 50s when they adopted him. The father tested positive for COVID-19 on May 7 and died a week later on May 14. Following his death, the mother took her own life on May 22.

Naman was admitted to a hospital for a few days after falling ill. He was taken to a shelter home in Faridabad and then brought to Deepashram in Gurugram, a special needs facility run by the Society of Missionary Brothers of Charity Contemplative.

The local government of Haryana will bear the expenses for Naman's upbringing and care, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said Sunday.

He added that the teen will receive financial aid from the government under Haryana's Mukhyamantri Bal Seva Yojana welfare program, which aims to provide 2,500 Indian rupees ($34) per child every month to families taking care of orphans who lost their parents or guardians to COVID-19 until they are 18 years old.

"The government has taken measure to help such children so that they are taken care of," Khattar said, adding that the government will help other similar institutions.

Beneficiaries of the program will also receive 12,000 Indian rupees ($165) per year for other expenses, and 1,500 Indian rupees ($20) per child will be provided to childcare institutions as financial aid every month for the care of such children, a report by newspaper The Tribune said.

Sunil Kohli, the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) chairperson in Gurugram, said Naman responds to a few words.

"He will be taken to Delhi-based Institute of Human Behavior and Allied Sciences for further check-up and we will ensure that the child gets proper treatment," Kohli said.

According to him, Naman's case was the first one in the city where a child had lost both their parents to COVID-19.

"We have requested people to inform us if they come across more such cases so that we can reach out to the children," he added.

Another CWC member in Gurugrum, Upasna Sachdeva, said there were cases of children who had lost a parent or both to the virus, but their relatives had allegedly decided to take care of them.