Woman missing for 34 years, treated for schizophrenia, reunited with family in emotional homecoming
May 14 was a special day at Abdul Kader Fakir's home in Rupshigaon, Aminkata in Assam's Kokrajhar district as he was reunited with his sister Sohida Bibi, now in her early 70s. Fakir, 61, told The Indian Express over the phone they had searched everywhere for Sohida, who was missing for more than three decades, but couldn't find her.
'My sister was in her early 30s, when one day she left home. Complaints were lodged and searches carried out everywhere. But we gave up hope during the pandemic and thought she was no more,' Fakir, who has a small construction business, said. Fakir's elder brother Hussain, 82, also cannot believe his little sister is back. Overjoyed she has returned after 34 years, Fakir told The Indian Express, 'Meri behen mere paas rahegi (My sister will stay with me).'
Sohida, who would call herself 'Musamma', had undergone treatment for mental illness at Guwahati after marriage. Family members say most likely she had wandered off in that mental state. It was 27 years ago on December 12, 1998 that she was admitted to the Regional Mental Hospital at Thane. At the time, she was lodged as an undertrial at Arthur Road Jail and was sent to the hospital for psychiatric treatment following a court order.
However, despite receiving seven years of care and being diagnosed with schizophrenia, she was deemed unfit for discharge. Over the years, persistent follow-ups and communication with the help of a Bengali interpreter by a team from Thane Mental Hospital and then later with the Shraddha Rehabilitation Foundation, helped trace her origins to a village in Assam. According to Dr Archana Gadkari, psychiatrist at Regional Mental Hospital, Thane, she was brought to the hospital from jail. 'She had a history of aggressiveness, poor interactions, impaired self-care and sleep,' Dr Gadkari said. She added that later some of the criminal charges were dropped against her and due to the efforts of the hospital, she was converted from a criminal to a civil patient.
Varsha Warade, sister-in-charge at Regional Mental Hospital, when contacted, said it took a while for 'Musamma' to respond to medication and counselling. It was several years later that she started responding and spoke in Bengali with the interpreter. The search then began to reunite 'Musamma' with her family and the team at Regional Mental Hospital, reached out to the Shraddha Rehabilitation Foundation.
Set up by Magsaysay Award winner Dr Bharat Vatwani with his wife and others, the foundation in Mumbai and Karjat over the years has reunited more than 7,000 mentally ill persons with their families. Dr Vatwani said when she was admitted to hospital in 1998, it was likely that in her disturbed mental state, Sohida may have mentioned Bangladesh and hence there was a court order issued that she should be deported.
'The team of psychiatrists felt she belonged to Assam and reached out to us. Our team went with photographs and other details to Assam and were able to trace her relatives. What added to the challenge was a death certificate issued by the Dotoma block Primary Health Centre in Kokrajhar. However, our team contacted the police and after an identification process, she was sent to the foundation on April 29 this year. Our social worker Samar Basak accompanied her to Assam where she was reunited with the family on May 14,' Dr Vatwani said.
Anuradha Mascarenhas is a journalist with The Indian Express and is based in Pune. A senior editor, Anuradha writes on health, research developments in the field of science and environment and takes keen interest in covering women's issues. With a career spanning over 25 years, Anuradha has also led teams and often coordinated the edition.
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