DNA has discovered that there was no specialised cook to provide food for them, and some of the inmates cooked themselves
Apathy, callousness, insensitivity... these words are not enough to describe the shocking and cruel treatment meted out to the 900 mentally challenged inmates at Asha Kiran (ironically meaning Ray of Hope), the government-run home for the mentally challenged.
DNA has discovered that there was no specialised cook to provide food for them, and some of the inmates cooked themselves.
DNA had highlighted on Thursday that the 11 deaths of inmates in the last two months were due to starvation, which was confirmed in the post-mortem. Post-mortem reports showed that the spleen, kidney and lungs of the deceased were congested. Doctors say these conditions occur when there is lack of adequate food and proteins in the body.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior government official confirmed: "There are no cooks in the home as of now. The house is being managed by caretakers whose sole job is to look after the people. Due to shortage of staff in the house, these house aunties are looking after everything. As a result, the inmates don't have anyone to wash clothes and cook food."
Asha Kiran has a dubious record. Since 2001, 600 inmates have died here. Today, it houses over 900. To take care of them, there are only 215 people against the requirement of over 500.
Another senior Delhi government official confirmed: "Due to shortage of staff, inmates do not get meals on time. The health chart of the inmates is not quite impressive and their health keeps on falling."
The Department of Social Welfare, Delhi government, refuted the allegations. DK Mishra, Director, Department of Social Welfare, told DNA: "There are four cooks in the house."
However, the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) refuted Mishra's claims. "I am aware that there are no specialised cooks and the caretakers are being made to cook food. This is totally unfair. A cook should be immediately hired. Diverting the job of caretaker simply means that we are taking away the required attention from the inmates," said Swati Maliwal, Chairperson, Delhi Commission for Women.
The DCW had issued a notice to the Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare after its chief Swati Maliwal, along with other staff members, inspected the shelter home and found that 11 deaths had occurred there in two months.
Chief Secy visits Asha Kiran
Delhi Chief Secretary MM Kutti, Secretary of Social Welfare Department, Dilraj Kaur and Director DK Mishra visited Asha Kiran on Thursday. The officials stayed inside the house for more than two hours. According to sources, the condition of the home was sanitised overnight with the staff working late night on Wednesday to clean up the mess. "The officers were extremely happy after their visit and even gave a thumbs up to the maintenance of the house," a staff from Asha Kiran told DNA.
It isn't just inmates who have been made to suffer. The situation is no different at another Delhi government-run home — Asha Jyoti — for the mentally challenged. It was found that the home shared the kitchen with another home looking after beggars. In a notice to the Department of Social Welfare, the DCW on Thursday made some shocking revelations.
"There is only one cook to prepare all three meals for around 80 persons. Around 60 females reside at the Asha Jyoti complex and the remaining 20 belong to the beggar home," the DCW said in its notice.
However, the social welfare department had a different view. After visiting the home early morning on Thursday, it issued a reply to the DCW.
"The mentally ill may sometimes participate in the daily activities of the home and assist in cooking, but this is more out of their sense of involvement rather than out of compulsion," the social welfare department said in its reply to DCW.
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