Wednesday, July 8, 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

    High hopes from Modi government's first budget Thursday

    High hopes from Modi government's first budget Thursday
    Amid high expectations from the common man and corporate India, the maiden budget of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government Thursday is expected to extend tax relief to the salaried class and unveil steps to spur investment and growth, even as fiscal situation remains fragile amid deepening Iraq crisis and high inflation.

    High hopes from Modi government's first budget Thursday

    Haryana announces separate panel for its Gurdwaras, SGPC warns action

    Haryana announces separate panel for its Gurdwaras, SGPC warns action
    Bowing to the demand of Sikh leadership from the state, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda Sunday announced that a separate Sikh body would be set up to run the affairs of gurdwaras (Sikh shrines) in Haryana.

    Haryana announces separate panel for its Gurdwaras, SGPC warns action

    Smuggler with 12 kg heroin held in Punjab

    Smuggler with 12 kg heroin held in Punjab
    A smuggler with 12 kg of heroin worth Rs.60 crore in the international market was arrested in Punjab, police said Sunday.

    Smuggler with 12 kg heroin held in Punjab

    Modi prevails over saffron traditionalists

    Modi prevails over saffron traditionalists
    The Hindutva fundamentalists may be slowly realising that the Bharatiya Janata Party's victory is unlikely to help their cause as much as they would have liked.

    Modi prevails over saffron traditionalists

    122 Indian Nurses Trapped in Iraq Return Home, don't ever want to go back to Iraq

    122 Indian Nurses Trapped in Iraq Return Home, don't ever want to go back to Iraq
    Ending a tense period, 183 Indians stranded in strife-torn Iraq, including 122 nurses - 46 from Kerala freed by Iraqi insurgents, 52 from Telangana and 24 from Andhra Pradesh - arrived home Saturday to a grand welcome while 200 more were on their way.

    122 Indian Nurses Trapped in Iraq Return Home, don't ever want to go back to Iraq

    Indian nurses' ordeal ends, to return Saturday

    Indian nurses' ordeal ends, to return Saturday
    All 46 Indian women nurses seized by Sunni insurgents in Iraq were freed Friday after intense diplomatic efforts, and were set to return to Kerala Saturday morning.

    Indian nurses' ordeal ends, to return Saturday