Govt on toes after deaths Delhi at shelter home, probe on

After a series of deaths at a Delhi government run shelter home for the intellectually challenged in July came to light, authorities in the Capital ordered an array of inquiries into the matter, including a white paper, to ascertain the functioning of such facilities and fix responsibility

After a series of deaths at a Delhi government run shelter home for the intellectually challenged in July came to light, authorities in the Capital ordered an array of inquiries into the matter, including a white paper, to ascertain the functioning of such facilities and fix responsibility.

Asha Kiran shelter home in Rohini. (HT Photo)

The negligent conditions at Asha Kiran shelter home, in Rohini, north Delhi, emerged in media reports on Friday, throwing authorities into a tizzy and triggering the probes. The Delhi government ordered a magisterial inquiry into the case, while lieutenant governor VK Saxena directed chief secretary Naresh Kumar to initiate action against the administrator of the facility and bring out a white paper on the running of all homes by the social welfare, and women and child departments and Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board, within three weeks.

According to the report submitted by the social welfare secretary to the LG on August 2, 28 inmates lost their lives at the shelter home, since January 2024. Of the 14 who died in July, 13 people were adults and one was a minor.

Revenue minister Atishi ordered an investigation, directing the additional chief secretary to submit a report within 48 hours. She also directed officers to recommend measures to prevent such occurrences. The order said that these deaths “reportedly occurred due to health issues and malnutrition and indicate the lack of availability of requisite facilities to the inmates.” “This is a serious issue which needs to be thoroughly investigated to take hard steps to revamp the whole system to improve the conditions of all such homes to provide better facilities,” she said.

“The ACS Revenue is directed to immediately initiate a magisterial inquiry into the whole matter and submit a report on the same within 48 hours... Recommend action to be taken against those whose negligence has caused these deaths,” the order added.

Separately, Saxena’s order to CS Kumar said that the deaths point to a “dereliction of duty” and an “act of criminality against the most helpless and disadvantaged.”

“LG VK Saxena has desired a comprehensive inquiry on the state of affairs of all shelter homes being run by the Delhi government, including the death at the Asha Kiran home is undertaken... A white paper on the running of all homes by the social welfare, women and child department and DUSIB... may be prepared and submitted within three weeks,” the order said.

Pitiful living conditions

HT spoke to workers at the facility, most of whom requested anonymity as the shelter home has been mired in controversy due to the deaths of its inmates over the years. Crowding, tattered clothes for inmates, lack of clean drinking water, poor hygiene in rooms and bathrooms, and stale food — these are just some of the many alleged violations at the centre.

The shelter was set up in 1989 with a capacity to accommodate 350 people. According to data, the number of deaths in July was the highest in the last six months. Between February to June, two to three deaths were reported per month. The 14 inmates, who died within 25 days, were aged between 20-47 and the minor was a 14-year-old girl. Eight of the deceased are women and the rest are men.

The death summary reports of some of the inmates said they were hospitalised with symptoms of gastroenteritis, drowsiness, malnutrition, dehydration, and anemia convulsions. However, the final autopsy reports are awaited. Some of these conditions were also combined.

A worker at the facility said it houses people double its capacity. “There are more than 900 people here. We don’t drink water here... It is that bad. I either get water from my home or buy it from outside,” he said, asking not to be named.

‘No filtered water’

The worker alleged that the deaths in July were due to “contaminated water”. “There are no RO water filtration systems inside. The inmates are mostly malnourished when they come to us and need a good diet but are instead served bland and stale rotis and dal. Earlier, we used to get eggs and fruit. I don’t know why that stopped. Sometimes, we don’t even get rice. Many of them have skin infections because of bed sores and dirty floors,” he added.

Another worker, who said he had been working at the shelter home for two years, told reporters that over two dozen inmates at the shelter have tuberculosis.

“Some don’t even get to eat vegetables. Many fall sick and get TB due to poor hygiene and limited diet. We are also overworked. The rooms are dirty and I have seen faeces lying in rooms for days. When we flag such issues, they get ignored,” he claimed, adding that the management keeps over 40 inmates in a room.

A senior Delhi Jal Board (DJB) official said the water utility’s quality control wing lifted four samples from the shelter home. “There was residual chlorine indicating water is suitable for drinking. There was no visible contamination. Informally, DJB staff have informed that it was food poisoning that had caused illness,” the official said.

According to another medical report, with signatures of chief medical officer at Asha Kiran, some common health conditions of the deceased inmates this year include “brought to the hospital in an unconscious state” (6 inmates), difficulty in breathing (4 inmates), convulsions (4 inmates), loose motions (4 inmates), blood infection, anemia, and hypoalbuminemia.

Speaking of the health conditions of the deceased people, Dr SCL Gupta, former MD of Batra Hospital in south Delhi told HT that they point to “gross mismanagement”.

“These people already have a history of mental diseases. I read the reports and they show convulsions. This happens when a person is dehydrated. Inmates suffer from hypoalbuminemia means there’s no protein in the body. This person will get loose motions if he/she is not given enough food and medicines. Loose motions are because of contaminated food and water. The reports also showed there was no early diagnosis to save the patients. Many of them were brought in critical conditions,” Dr Gupta said.

Blame game ensues

The incident has also become the latest flashpoint between the Delhi government and the Bharatiya Janata Party.

In a press conference on Friday evening, Atishi said the matter was serious but “rumours should not be spread as the postmortem and inquiry reports were still awaited.

Meanwhile, Delhi BJP MP from North West Delhi Yogendra Chandolia said: “Asha Kiran has been suffering due to criminal negligence by the Kejriwal government for many years.” Delhi BJP also held a protest against the government near the shelter home.

A statement from the National Commission for Women, which visited the facility on Friday, said: “The preliminary inquiry has uncovered numerous administrative lapses. The final report with recommendations will be shared by the commission with the LG after inquiry.”

Separately, Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal visited the shelter. “I just visited Asha Kiran shelter home and the situation is horrific. People who need special care are being treated like Animals! ... No beds, residents made to sleep on floor. I will submit a report, will raise it in Parliament,” she posted on X.