Thursday, July 2, 2026
ADVT 
India

12-Year-old Boy Branded As 'Devil' For Having 'Big Hands'

IANS, 11 Aug, 2017 01:28 PM
    Tarik, a 12-year-old boy from Uttar Pradesh has been suffering from a mysterious condition of ' big hands' since birth, that made the village folks term him a 'Devil.'
     
     
    Tarik works on a tea stall and lives with his older brother.
     
     
    According to his aunt Pushpa, his hands were always big, and "as he started growing, his hands got bigger" too.
     
     
    Now, as long as 12 inches, his hands have prevented him from doing even the simple tasks. His daily needs like bathing, dressing, and eating are taken care of by his older brother, Hargyan.
     
     
    "When his father was alive he took him to the local doctors a lot. But his father passed away and he only has his mother now, so he can't get any treatment", added the aunt.
     
     
    His neighbours, believing, it to be a curse, have labelled him as a " Devil". The boy has also been a target of bullying.
     
     
    "They don't know it's a medical condition and it can be cured," said Tarik, adding that his family's lack of money "doesn't mean it can't be cured".
     
    Tarik wanted to study, but was refused admission by school authorities.
     
     
    His brother said, "The school authorities said they could not take Tarik as his huge hands will scare other kids. He was denied admission in almost every school."
     
     
    Multiple appointments with local doctors haven't made a difference yet.
     
     
    Dr Pawan Kumar Gandhi said, "Tarik's problem is actually a mystery to us. We've never seen a patient with this before. I have seen a few similar cases but they had Elephant Foot disease, his condition seems to be similar to that."
     
     
    Hargyan expressed his disappointment over local doctors having no sophisticated equipment, and the lack of money for a good hospital, "Every single doctor suggested to get Tarik a proper treatment. But for us there is no way. He has to stay like this till we have some money for the treatment."
     
     
    While the 12-year old hopes for a better treatment, his tragic tale has caught the eye of many international media houses including DailyMotion, Mirror, and MSN, who recently covered his story.

    MORE India ARTICLES

    Blame Game In Congress Over Delhi Result, Sonia Gandhi Intervenes

    Blame Game In Congress Over Delhi Result, Sonia Gandhi Intervenes
    A blame game broke out in the Congress Thursday over its washout in the Delhi assembly polls with former chief minister Sheila Dikshit blaming party campaign chief Ajay Maken. Party president Sonia Gandhi intervened to ask senior party leaders to observe restraint.

    Blame Game In Congress Over Delhi Result, Sonia Gandhi Intervenes

    Amrvind Kejriwal Meets Modi, Seeks Statehood For Delhi

    Amrvind Kejriwal Meets Modi, Seeks Statehood For Delhi
    Two days before he takes oath as Delhi's chief minister, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal Thursday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and raised the issue of granting full statehood to the capital.

    Amrvind Kejriwal Meets Modi, Seeks Statehood For Delhi

    Modi Government Sets Up Special Investigation Team To Probe 1984 Riots

    Modi Government Sets Up Special Investigation Team To Probe 1984 Riots
    The government Thursday set up a Special Investigation Team for fresh investigation into serious criminal cases relating to 1984 anti-Sikh riots, it was announced here.

    Modi Government Sets Up Special Investigation Team To Probe 1984 Riots

    Sunanda Murder: Tharoor questioned by police over IPL angle

    Sunanda Murder: Tharoor questioned by police over IPL angle
    Delhi Police Thursday questioned Congress MP Shashi Tharoor over the ownership of Kochi Tuskers, a defunct IPL franchisee, to find out if his murdered wife Sunanda Pushkar received equity on his behalf from the franchisee.

    Sunanda Murder: Tharoor questioned by police over IPL angle

    Pakistani groups have links with terror acts in India: Modi

    Pakistani groups have links with terror acts in India: Modi
    Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday said the "expanding footprint" of extremist and terrorist organisations in Pakistan and their links with terror activities in India was a major security challenge.

    Pakistani groups have links with terror acts in India: Modi

    Challenges Before Kejriwal; Can He Deliver On His Promises?

    Challenges Before Kejriwal; Can He Deliver On His Promises?
    We spoke to former Delhi chief secretary Shailaja Chandra who flagged some of the challenges Chief Minister-designate Arvind Kejriwal would face in implementing his election promises as he begins his second term in office:

    Challenges Before Kejriwal; Can He Deliver On His Promises?