Sunday, July 5, 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

    1,10,000 rescued in flood-hit Kashmir as relief efforts scaled up

    1,10,000 rescued in flood-hit Kashmir as relief efforts scaled up
    Relief efforts were scaled up in flood-hit Jammu and Kashmir, especially summer capital Srinagar with additional personnel, boats, drinking water, blankets and food rushed...

    1,10,000 rescued in flood-hit Kashmir as relief efforts scaled up

    Kejriwal writes to president, seeks fresh polls

    Kejriwal writes to president, seeks fresh polls
    AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal Thursday asked President Pranab Mukherjee to recommend dissolution of the Delhi assembly, saying that the government could ...

    Kejriwal writes to president, seeks fresh polls

    India successfully test fires n-capable Agni-I missile

    India successfully test fires n-capable Agni-I missile
    India Thursday successfully test-fired its indigenously developed nuclear-capable surface-to-surface Agni-I missile from a military base in Odisha, a defence official said....

    India successfully test fires n-capable Agni-I missile

    India gets huge support on Kashmir among British MPs

    India gets huge support on Kashmir among British MPs
    Not only did more than twice the number of speakers support the Indian position on the subject, as compared to the figure endorsing the Pakistani stance...

    India gets huge support on Kashmir among British MPs

    Punjab to undertake health audit of all citizens

    Punjab to undertake health audit of all citizens
    The Punjab government will undertake health audit of all citizens in the state for achieving the goal of health for all, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal announced...

    Punjab to undertake health audit of all citizens

    Over 76,500 evacuated in flood-hit Kashmir

    Over 76,500 evacuated in flood-hit Kashmir
    The rescuers from the Indian Armed Forces and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have distributed 8,200 blankets and 650 tents so far...

    Over 76,500 evacuated in flood-hit Kashmir