Bhubaneswar, January 12: In a heartwarming story, a 13-year-old girl was reunited with her mother, who was labelled as a witch and shunned from her village ten years ago. Madhumita Singh's (name changed) happiness seemed no bounds when she met her mother in Odisha's Mayurbhanj village after ten-year hiatus. The mother previously was unfairly held responsible for her husband's premature death, and expelled from her house by her in-laws in 2014.

According to a report published in Times of India, the 36-year-old woman was found working and residing in an ashram in the city of Puducherry. The Women and Child Development (W&CD) department of Odisha who played a pivotal role in arranging the meeting said that the woman narrated her ordeal to her employer in Puducherry, who later contacted Mayurbhanj DCPO for help. Jharkhand Shocker: 48-Year-Old Woman Labeled ‘Witch’, Beaten to Death by Family in Palamu District; Three Accused Arrested.

“After spending several years there, she gradually acquired some knowledge of Tamil and finally shared her heartbreaking tale of separation from her child to her employer in Puducherry. A staff of the ashram searched for the Mayurbhanj DCPO’s number on the internet and reached out to the officer seeking assistance,” said a  W&CD official.

Meanwhile, the daughter had been leading a painful life while the mother was away. After her mother was driven out from the village, she initially stayed with her father’s elder brother and was treated badly. The police later rescued her from the house after neighbours complained and shifted her to child care institute (CCI) in Mayurbhanj. She has been staying there since and is now in Class IX, the W&CD official said. Odisha: 70-Year-Old Woman Forced to Walk Several Kms Under Scorching Heat to Collect Pension Money in Nabarangpur (Watch Video).

With the help of the authorities and her employer, the woman reached Odisha last week and met her daughter. The 13-year-old girl described the reunion with her mother as “God’s best gift”. “With my mother, I’ve got all the happiness of my life,” she said. The mother-daughter reunion story, resembling a narrative spun from a fairy tale, serves as a source of inspiration, renewing people's faith in humanity.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 12, 2024 02:29 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).