HYDERABAD: In a shocking and shameful incident that unfolded in `Hi-tech Hyderabad', a grieving mother was allegedly forced to stay out on the street all night with the body of her 10-year-old son after her landlord refused to allow her to bring the body inside the house. As if the shock and sorrow of losing her child was not enough, Eswaramma and her younger son were stranded outside their home in Venkateshwar Nagar area of Kukatpally as thunderstorms and rains pummeled the city on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday. Eswaramma's son had died of dengue at Niloufer Hospital just hours before, on Wednesday evening.

Shocked at seeing the condition of the mother, neighbours arranged tarpaulin covers and a body box for the dengue victim. They also pitched in to raise some money to help the family perform the last rites of the boy on Thursday .

According to child rights activists, who brought the matter to light, Eswaramma and her younger son were left stranded in the rain as the house owner, Jagdish Gupta, disallowed them from bringing her older son, Suresh 's body indoors, under the pretext of it being “inauspicious".

“His daughter had gotten married recently and that was the excuse he gave for not allowing them to bring the body inside the house," said an enraged activist.

It is learnt that Eswaramma, who hails from Mahbubnagar district, was living on rent in Gupta's house along with her two sons for the last four years.

“This is a severe violation of human and child rights and we will approach the human rights commission. We strongly condemn this inhumane practice of the house owner and demand that a criminal case be filed against him," said city-based child rights activist and Balala Hakkula Sangham president Achyuta Rao.

