The Hindu : New Delhi News : NHRC notice to Delhi Chief Secretary

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Wednesday, Jan 13, 2010
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NHRC notice to Delhi Chief Secretary

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: The National Human Rights Commission has issued a notice to Delhi Chief Secretary calling for a detailed report on the cause of death of inmates at Asha Kiran Home in Rohini here and also on the state of affairs.

The Commission took cognizance of the issue on January 11 based on a complaint filed by advocate and human rights activist Prabir Kumar Das who citing media reports alleged that 12 mentally challenged inmates of the home run by the Delhi Government had died in the past one month.

Of these, three reportedly died within 24 hours due to lack of basic facilities such as warm clothes.

The Commission has asked the Delhi Chief Secretary to submit a detailed report on the matter within four weeks.

When contacted, Delhi Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta said he did not know about the notice. “We are aware of the matter. The Social Welfare Department had filed a report and it will decide if it matches with the NHRC’s demand.”

The Social Welfare Department report states that the Asha Kiran Home is overcrowded. Though it was built for 350 people, it houses 730 inmates.

Caretakers were also few in number compared to the patients. Therefore many care-givers quit within a very short period, according to the report.

The mentally retarded inmates also suffered from many deficiencies with regard to their physical health. Therefore, life expectancy for severely retarded inmates was often relatively low.

The report states that 60 per cent of inmates were in the category of severely or profoundly mentally retarded persons.

Despite the walls of the complex being nearly 10-foot-high and the high gates being guarded 24 hours, there have also been cases of children going missing.

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