Cooch Behar: A shocking incident has emerged in West Bengal's Cooch Behar district. An 84-year-old woman from Gendugeri village, located in Mathabhanga 1 block of the district, has been rendered homeless and forced to spend her days under a tree, shielded by a tent, following eviction from the residence by her son and daughter-in-law.
The incident took place a year ago when Sarbeshwari Barman was kicked out after her old-age allowance from the government was abruptly stopped, note fellow residents, adding that they subsequently arranged for the makeshift shelter. "If the allowance was active, she would have not one, but two places to stay. It was stopped about a year ago. Now she's in a hapless state" notes Mithun Adhikari, a local. He explains that the 'two places' in question are the households of her two sons, the younger son Haren Barman, who lives in Bengaluru, and the elder son, Gajen, who has evicted her.
Barman says her current stock of food consists of barley and puffed rice, each she has been consuming for the past several days. "After they showed me the door, I live here. The locals helped me set up the tent" she said. Speaking about the incident, local Panchayat member Paresh Barman says he had no prior information about the issue. "No one has intimated to me about the fact that her allowance has been stopped. I will enquire about the issue and attempt to restart the pension," he added.
