Elderly Abuse is a major growing concern in India. This abuse can take various forms including physical, psychological, neglect, abandoning, etc. In most of the cases, many elderly individuals in India experience such abuses at the hands of their family members.  

Viral video of 95-year-old woman beaten up by daughter in-law 

Recently, such case came into spotlight when a video of a young woman, beating up an elderly woman brutally went viral on the Internet. According to the information, the video was from Phillaur in Punjab, where a 95-year-old woman was beaten by her daughter in-law. 

 In the viral video, the young woman, with her back to camera was seen beating her elderly mother-in-law. Later, she gave her a stick, which elderly women, laying on the floor, tried to hurl back at her. After the video went viral, it has made several reactions on the internet and the case has been filed against the daughter-in-law in the local Police station. The elderly woman was also admitted to the Phillaur Civil Hospital. Later, she was discharged.  

According to the reports, the authorities have launched strict action against the case. ASI Surinder Kumar at Phillaur Police Station said that they have initiated all the proceedings against the daughter-in-law. She has been charged under section 115 of the BNS (Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita). He also reported that the daughter-in-law wasn’t found at her residence in Phillaur but the officials are making their efforts to find her.  

Further, it has been reported that the 95-yar-old victim was allegedly thrown out of her house by her own family members, leaving her in a distressing situation. 

Upraising cases of elder abuse reported 

Notably Tarsem Kapoor— the Chairman of Apahaj Jalandhar said “the number of elderly patients, who are reporting to us, have risen dramatically compared to a decade ago. We have 160 inmates, of whom, barring a couple, all are abandoned elderly. Five patients from the Red Cross Old Age Home at the rear of the civil hospital were also shifted to our ashram six months ago. One of them was brought with a pelvic fracture which we treated; another had died.” 

Notably, this was the second case of elder abuses, reported back-to-back in the last week, witnessing the mistreatment of elders by their relatives and children. Earlier, an incident of alleged abuse and neglect was reported in the Civil lines area of Rawalpindi, where an elderly couple were tortured and thrown out of their home by their son and daughter-in-law. 

 The video surfaced on the internet, showing the elderly woman aged 66, with her husband (aged 76) appealing the government of Punjab for help.  

Elder Abuse, growing concern in India 

According to research by HelpAge India, about one-fourth of elders in the urban areas faces such abuses and tortures from their sons and their daughters-in-law. The most common forms of abuse reported are disrespect, verbal abuse and abandonment. The prevalence of abuse is higher among those aged 80 and above in families with poor economic background and low education levels.  

During Covid-19 pandemic, the cases of elderly abuse increased. While the government has adopted various ways to address this issue, with more robust policies and support systems to protect the elderly population, still there are many regions in the country witnessing such cases every day.