Man’s Liquor Habit Ends His Kids’ Education In Odisha

CUTTACK: In a bizarre incident, a man has withdrawn his son and daughter from school because his addiction to liquor and ganja left him with little money to afford the children’s school expenses in Cuttack.

The man, a daily-wager living with his family at Satigumpha under Bidanasi police limits here, took his 14-year-old daughter off her school when she was in Class VII two years ago. He then forced her to help her mother in house work. He pressurised his 10-year-old son to leave school a year ago when the boy was in Class V and made him work at a fast food stall.

Although the two children’s mother was a witness to their plight, she was too terrified to intervene as her husband often comes home drunk.

She said her husband spends about 80 percent of his earnings on liquor and ganja. When the girl recently insisted on continuing her studies, her father beat her up severely. The girl is now under treatment for her injuries at SCB Medical College and Hospital, where her mother is attending to her.

The plight of the two children came to the fore on June 12 when some locals informed advocate Bipin Bihari Choudhury.

Choudhury lodged a complaint with Bidanasi police. It rescued the girl and the boy. The girl was sent to the SCB for treatment while the boy was sent to a rehab home.

“Arrangements will be made by the legal services authority soon to send the two children back to school,” said Choudhury.