11 children but none to take care of her, 79-year-old Karnataka woman seeks euthanasia

Govindaraju, who is the youngest of the seven brothers, claimed he took care of her for many years until his inter-caste marriage. He said his mother underwent heart surgery about five months earlier and has tested positive for Covid-19 twice.

After this, her health deteriorated and she now needs treatment and medications almost every month. He said he had a lot of debt and added that he is not able to take care of her due to his financial condition.

“Unfortunately, I do not have money to pay for her medical bills. I have requested my brothers who are well to do, but they are not coming forward. I am helpless too,” he said.

Her husband owned 30 acres, 7 houses, and more

Puttavva, a resident of Ranganathanagar near Ranebennur town, has 11 grandkids in addition to her 11 children.  Her husband Hanumanthappa, who passed away eight years ago, owned 30 acres of land, seven residential houses, flats, and even some sites in the Ranebennur area.

After her husband’s death, though the properties are, according to Puttavva, in her name, the sons are alleged to have kept the documents to themselves and are refusing to give them to her.

Puttavva, who is illiterate, doesn’t know the process of approaching the authorities and courts to sell the land. She has been pleading with her children to sell some of the properties and help her with her living expenses and hospital costs.

The idea of mercy killing

When South First tried to speak to Puttavva, she said that she was at the moment not in the frame of mind to speak to the media but would do so after talking to the district commissioner, who has asked her to meet him along with all her children.

“We have been asked to bring my mother and meet the officer. I only hope my brothers understand her situation and take care of her,” said Govindaraju.

When asked how his mother got the idea of seeking euthanasia, Govindaraju said he was not aware of how this happened. But he said he knew that she had expressed her concern to some of her neighbours about living without physical care and also about the psychological trauma she is going through due to her children.

“Though she lived separately in a small house next to my brothers, no one used to feed her. Even I have not taken care of her. People living there, her neighbours, used to feed her,” he explained with guilt.

He said one of them must have informed her about the mercy killing option.

“She is illiterate and has no idea of all these things. Even I didn’t know we could request something like this. She has also got a letter drafted to the President, which means someone has helped her with this. We will know later, but I am now upset about reducing her to this condition,” he said.

Police warned family

Puttavva on Friday went to the District Commissioner’s office in Haveri with a petition and was crying outside the office.

Puttavva at the DC Office in Haveri, Karnataka to file petition for Euthanasia. (supplied)

In her petition addressed to the President, she wrote that she had “been living at the mercy of her neighbors who are providing her with food” and sought euthanasia.

Mahaboob Fakir Saab Nadaf, assistant director of the Social Welfare Department, spoke to her and tried to understand the situation. He is said to have also asked her to apply to the courts for claiming her property rights and has also assured her of care at a home for the aged.

Meanwhile, the police are said to have warned the family members not to trouble the old lady and the deputy commissioner will also counsel them soon.

What is euthanasia?

Euthanasia means “good death”. It is the medical termination of a very sick person’s life to relieve them of their pain and suffering.

There have been other instances where some people have sought euthanasia. In some cases, the person may be too ill and the petition could be made by relatives, doctors, or courts too.

Since March 2018, passive euthanasia has been legal in India under strict guidelines. Patients must consent through a living will and must be either terminally ill or in a vegetative state.

Some recent appeals from Karnataka related to euthanasia

In August 2022, Rihana Irfan, a 29-year-old trans woman from Madikeri in Karnataka, sought permission for euthanasia after several failed attempts to find herself a government shelter where she could live her life with dignity.

Earlier in the same month, a woman from the Karnataka capital had moved the Delhi High Court to stop her Noida-based 48-year-old male friend, who has a debilitating health condition, from travelling to Europe to undergo euthanasia. She withdrew the petition later.