The Regional Mental Hospital in Pune has successfully rehabilitated and reunited an unidentified mentally ill patient, later identified as Shivam, with his family after nearly two years of relentless effort.
Shivam was admitted to the hospital on 27 October 2021 after being brought in by Bandi Police Station, Shivoor (Taluka Vaijapur, District Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar). A case under Section 295 of the Indian Penal Code related to hurting religious sentiments had been registered against him.
The hospital’s social services superintendent, Rohini Bhosale, began gathering details about his background to initiate the rehabilitation process while he was undergoing treatment.
Despite language barriers, Bhosale managed to extract fragmented information from the patient, including mentions of Prem Vidyalaya, Roorkee village, and Haridwar. Using these clues, she contacted the local police station with the help of a Google search and soon traced his family.
Shivam’s brother informed that he had gone missing during the 2013 Kedarnath floods, where he worked at the temple. After years of unsuccessful search efforts, the family had presumed him dead. A video call arranged by Bhosale led to a tearful reunion between the brothers.
However, the road to Shivam’s release was far from simple. When Bhosale informed the Shivur Police Station about tracing the family, it came to light that the chargesheet in his case had never been prepared. Further investigation revealed that Shivam was wrongly implicated; the other accused had falsely named him after being caught by villagers.
Despite repeated follow-ups by Bhosale with the police and the court, the case saw long delays, including changes in presiding judges. Shivam’s case was later placed before the Mental Health Review Board, Pune, chaired by R.R. Medhe, District and Additional Sessions Judge, who also facilitated communication with the Vaijapur Court. Even then, administrative delays continued for several months.
A breakthrough came when Bhosale approached the District Legal Services Authority, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, which intervened. Following their directive, the Vaijapur Court expedited proceedings and finally issued orders for Shivam’s release.
After nearly two years of efforts, Shivam was formally handed over to his family, which brought him an emotional conclusion to a long and challenging journey.
