WATCH: Eknath Shinde Steps In After Viral Video Of Mahabaleshwar Shows Mother Tying Deaf-Mute Child To Stone To Stop Him From Wandering Off As She Works, Promises Free Treatment

After the video of a mother from Mahabaleshwar tying her 3-year-old deaf-mute child to a stone in the scorching sun to keep her child safe while she worked under the intense heat went viral, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, hailing from Mahabaleshwar taluka, took swift action.

Now, the child will soon receive help for further treatment, informed Shiv Sena Medical Aid Cell’s chief Mangesh Chiwate on Tuesday.

In the video, the baby’s leg was tied to a stone with a rope by his mother to prevent him from moving around while his parents worked as daily wage laborers to make ends meet. Unfortunately, this led to the baby’s leg becoming slightly bent at the knee. Additionally, the child is born deaf and mute, conditions which typically require cochlear implant surgery for treatment.

The mother, named Monali Chavan, a daily wage earner from the remote village of Danavali in Mahabaleshwar Tehsil, had no one to care for her young child while she worked. With no financial means to hire help or seek medical treatment for her child, she tied a rope around her child's feet and tethered him to a stone to prevent him from wandering off.

The heartbreaking video went viral on social media, and several people appealed to Shinde for help, as he hails from the region.

Treatment at Jupiter Hospital

On Tuesday, the child’s parents visited the Shiv Sena Medical Aid Cell’s central office in Thane. As per the commitment, Chiwate, under the guidance of Shinde, has started providing all possible assistance for the child’s treatment. The child will first be examined by Dr. Pradeep Upal at Jupiter Hospital, after which the appropriate course of treatment will be decided in consultation with the medical expert.