Thrashed, thrown out by son

AHMEDABAD: Anna, a 75-year-old widower, has been forced to live in an old age home in Naranpura for the past one month. He was allegedly thrashed by a cricket bat and a wooden club meant for washing clothes by his 44-year-old son, Ammil, who has now driven him out of his house in Amraiwadi.
With tears Anna said, “My son, for whom I cared so much and used to send money when I worked in Algeria and Libya, is now trying to usurp my property by pressurizing me to transfer the house in his name.I’ve already bequeathed my property to my grandson in my will after my death.”
Anna has submitted an application of complaint at Khokhra police station against Ammil and his wife for beating him up and forcing him out of the house.
Meanwhile, Ammil has also approached the court seeking a stay on the sale of property, accusing Anna of mentally harassing him at the instigation of his relatives.
Problems erupted in Anna’s life when the cotton mill in which he was employed closed down in 1984. “I first went to Algeria for one year and then to Libya, where I worked for five years. I used to send money home so that my son could live in comfort,” he said.
Anna’s wife expired in 2001 about two years after he got his son Ammil married. “I used to stay in one room and cook my own food, while my son and his family occupied the rest of the house. I need about three buckets of water for my personnel use. But whenever I used the tap, my son and his wife quarrelled with me,” he said.
Anna alleges that his son often used to ask him to transfer his house in his name. However, he did not give in to his demand, fearing eviction from the house once the property was transferred.
“Last month when I went to fill water Ammil pulled out a cricket bat and hit me on the ankle. I learned about this old age home from my relative and shifted here. I have also filed a complaint in the court against my son,” said Anna.
Farsu Kakkad, administrator of the old age home, said they are perusing the application submitted by Anna with the police. “We will see that the 75-year-old man gets justice,” he said.
(Names changed to protect identity)