Beaten, kicked and death threats: 71-year-old Shantha's rib broken by old-age home manager 

KOCHI: The manager of an old-age home brutally assaulted a bedridden elderly woman. Shantha (71), a native of Manjummal, is undergoing treatment at Kalamassery Medical College after breaking her rib. The incident that numbs the conscience took place at an old-age home in Eroor, Tripunithura. The Hill Palace police have registered a case against the manager of the old-age home. It was the hospital authorities that informed the police about the assault. Shantha's statement was recorded and an FIR was registered.

The FIR states that she was beaten, kicked and threatened to be killed. Shantha lived in her family house in Manjummal. She has no children and was all alone after her husband Ayyappan died. She was under the care of her sister and daughter. Shantha recently fell and injured her leg and could not walk. She was treated at a private hospital in Manjummal. Shantha was discharged from the hospital after her wound and other injuries were 80 percent healed. Shantha was temporarily shifted to an old age home that takes care of bedridden patients to ensure good care when her sister and her grandson fell ill. The fee was Rs. 24,000 per month.

"Valyamma was shifted to the old age home on August 2. My mother and I used to go there from time to time, but they never let us see Valyamma. When we went inside once, Valyamma was lying with blood on her lips. The manager said that it was chapped lips. Valyamma did not say anything even though we felt something was wrong. We were called on the 27th, saying that she was having difficulty breathing. Valyamma opened up about the ordeal she had been facing for two months during the ambulance ride to the hospital," Shantha's sister's daughter told Kerala Kaumudi.

A CT scan was taken after Shantha shared her ordeal with the doctor at Ernakulam General Hospital. It was found that her ribs were fractured and the wound caused by the fall had become deep and festering. She was admitted to Chalaka Medical College in Paravur. She is currently undergoing treatment at Kalamassery Medical College Hospital. There has been slight improvement in her health. The family demands that strong action be taken against the manager of the old age home.