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Man Claims Girl Rescued From UP Jungle Is His Niece, Hospital Asks For Proof

While reports claimed she was a feral child, doctors believe otherwise.
Hindustan Times via Getty Images

A man on Sunday claimed that the girl, who was first said to have been a feral child living with monkeys and later was reported to have been suffering from a mental illness, was his niece.

The 11-year-old, who is being called the 'Mowgli girl' by media reports has now been named 'Ehsaas' by SS Dhapola, the president of the NGO that runs Nirvan Hospital in Lucknow where she is admitted.

Reports suggest that the man, Bhullan Ali, was asked by the NGO to return with relevant documents to prove that the girl was really his niece because they were not convinced.

The Indian Express quoted Dhapola as saying, "The girl did not respond even a bit on seeing him. If she can start responding to me in just one day, she should react in some manner on seeing her uncle with whom she has lived for eight years. He also did not bring the missing girl's parents, nor was he carrying any picture of her with family members. We have asked him to come with substantive proof. We will not give her to anyone without a DNA test to confirm their claim."

It was earlier reported that the girl, who was found in the Motipur range of Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, was raised by monkeys because she walked on all fours and screeched like them.

However, experts are not convinced of the feral child angle, even though initial reports claimed that she was found with a group of monkeys who created a ruckus while she was being rescued. Report suggest that she may be suffering from a mental illness.

Paediatrician KK Verma tells The Hindustan Times, "The girl might have been left in the jungle by her parents because of mental illness. But it was probably not long before police team rescued her. The theory that she was brought up monkeys seems absurd."

She was found two months ago by a police officer on routine patrol. It is being suspected that she was dropped off at the forest not too long before being spotted.

Head Constable Sarvajeet Yadav, who is said to have rescued her, told The Indian Express, "She was moving around on her haunches. She was wearing a frock and kachchha (knickers). She was very weak and tried to move away on seeing us... There were no monkeys. She was not naked, and she wasn't using her hands to walk. I don't know how these stories are being spread."

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.