In the country’s capital, the shelter home run by the Delhi government for mentally challenged people became such a torture center that 14 children died in 20 days. If we talk about total deaths this year, this number is 27. The surprising thing is that no review has been done yet. The condition inside this shelter home is very bad. Not only this, children are given only half the food. The situation is such that Asha Kiran Home, built for mentally weak children, is now becoming a death chamber for them.
Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena termed these deaths as a crime against the most deprived people. On the other hand, opposition parties BJP and Congress accused the ruling Aam Aadmi Party government of negligence and also protested outside the shelter home. Atishi announced a magisterial inquiry into the deaths, following which Lieutenant Governor Saxena directed Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar to conduct a comprehensive inquiry into the condition of all city-run shelter homes, including the deaths at Asha Kiran, and sought a report within a week.
Children were not being given complete food
The woman working here says that the facilities which were provided to the children here 4 years ago, are not available now. Earlier children used to get milk and eggs, but now everything has been stopped and only pulses and bread are available. Not only this, about two dozen children have been diagnosed with TB. The reason behind this is that children are not getting proper diet and a large number of people are overloaded with it. According to sources in the SDM office, the capacity of the shelter home is around 500, but there are around 950 people inside.
Also read: ‘Stale food is being served, not even a cooler…’, Rekha Sharma shares pictures of mismanagement at Asha Kiran Shelter Home
In such a situation, the question arises that in Delhi which is known and recognized as a world class city, the entire infrastructure seems to be crumbling somewhere. The information that is being received shows that children are not being given proper food. If they fall ill, they are not given treatment. In such a situation, 14 deaths in 20 days raise questions on the functioning of the government.
Minister Atishi ordered magistrate inquiry
Delhi Minister Atishi has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the death of Asha Kiran. In the documents that Aaj Tak has got, there is a clear mention of how people died month after month. The most shocking thing is that in the month of July itself, 14 people died within 20 days.
When Aaj Tak asked Minister Atishi whether these deaths did not come to the notice of the government because there is no head of the department. On this, Revenue Minister Atishi said, severely disabled persons also have serious physical morbidity. The death must be medically related. He said that the people living in Asha Kiran Shelter Home are given continuous medical care not only in the Home Medical Center but also in various hospitals of Delhi. We have ordered an immediate magisterial inquiry. Officials of the concerned department are not involved in such investigation. Action will be taken after the magistrate report comes.
Stale food being served in the center: Rekha Sharma
Rekha Sharma has shared these pictures with fungus in food. There are various items on the menu, nothing is available. People living in shelter homes have low BMI. There has been a rise in deaths due to heat in the center and there is not even a cooler here. Stale food is being served. Rekha Sharma said that this organization has been running for so long, its work should be audited and there is a need for review. He said that if there is a need after this, then it is necessary to close this institution, because the people who are there should be in the hospital and not in the shelter home. He said that I do not think that there are shelter homes for mental patients, rather they should be in hospitals.
Also read: Delhi: 13 children died in Asha Kiran Shelter Home in a month, fact finding team formed.
Deaths occurred due to this?
In the report of the in-charge of the medical care unit at the shelter home, three deaths have been recorded in February, two each in March and April, one in May, three in June and 14 deaths in the month of July. The report states that 12 deaths occurred between July 12 and July 28. Records of deaths since July 15 showed that many of the deceased were suffering from “severe” or “profound” intellectual disability and were also being treated in other government hospitals. On July 20, three people, including two women, died.
Ashok Kumar, who is the chief medical officer of the shelter home, told PTI that people living here were not getting proper drinking water during the summer and there was a possibility that the water could be contaminated. “He was having diarrhoea. People living here are supposed to be given eggs and milk, but this is considered a special diet. The administrator of the home comes once or twice, but he has other things too,” he said. Kumar Said that 60 to 70 percent people are taking medicines, but malnutrition cannot be treated with medicines.”
Police registered a case
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Rohini) Gurikbal Singh Sidhu said that the police has started investigation under section 196 of the Indian Civil Security Code (BNSS). The officer further said that only the administrator of the center can tell how many people are living inside, but the police has started investigation. The DCP said, “We are waiting for the post-mortem report and the magistrate inquiry report. Further investigation and FIR will be lodged as per the report.”
It’s a horror home: Swati Maliwal
Run by the Social Welfare Department of Delhi Government, this facility was established in Sector 1, Rohini in 1989. Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP and former Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal described the facility as a “horror home”. He said, “People who need special care are being treated like animals! This is a horror home! 14 people died, 8 of whom were women. The case files of the two deceased women clearly It is written that she was malnourished, dehydration, vomiting and bed sores were also mentioned.