Mumbai: Volunteers from an NGO rescued Jyotsna Begum (55) after they found her in a disturbed state at Bandra’s Carter Road, where she nervously asked people to guide her to the house of actor Salman Khan. Begum travelled from Assam to Mumbai to meet the Hindi film actor because she had read somewhere that “Salman Khan helps his needy fans”.Social and Evangelical Association for Love (SEAL) founder pastor K M Philip said volunteers noticed her while carrying out their annual monsoon rescue drive for homeless destitutes. “We observed how Begum was asking for Khan’s address at Bandra, as she was certain that he would help her financially. After coming to Mumbai from Assam, she became disoriented and hence lost her way in the city,” Philip said.During the counselling sessions at SEAL Ashram, Begum, who lives near Guwahati, had told the social workers that her family is living in poverty, and that she has to take care of her children on her own.“Her only ray of hope was Khan, since she had read a news article that he had financially helped a poor person. However, despite not having any contacts in Mumbai, she set forth on her solo journey, with hardly any money, and she only knew Khan lives somewhere in Bandra,” said a social activist.“We medically treated Begum at our shelter home until she was fully stable. Later, she was reunited with her family in Assam,” Philip said. Begum was among 51 destitutes rescued from the streets during the monsoon drive and taken to the Panvel-based SEAL Ashram for further care. Of the 51 rescued persons, 12 were reunited with their families, including Begum.SEAL chief patron and former vice chairperson of state minorities commission Abraham Mathai said, “State govt must also give a helping hand to enable such NGOs to do such works of compassion”.Philip said the NGO was trying to build a hospital at its Panvel campus to treat rescued patients more efficiently.“Sometimes, private hospitals do not attend to our extreme rescue cases, where there are live maggots seen in their wounds or if they suffer from dangerous diseases like TB, among others,” he said,He also added that the hospital plan can also help other poor villagers in the surrounding areas.
