Homeless man’s disappearance from North Delhi leaves cops guessing

A social welfare department official said Rakesh died at RML and was cremated by the police but neither the police or others who knew him were aware of this.

For the last one month, an unattended cycle-rickshaw with some rotis staling on its seat, an old mattress covered by a mosquito net tied to the rickshaw’s frame, and some dirty clothes hanging on the iron railing of the adjacent park near Sewa Kutir Complex in north Delhi’s Kingsway Camp, are the only signs of a 40-year-old man whose disappearance over a month ago has left the police and locals searching for answers.

At the Sewa Kutir Complex, Rakesh’s belongings lie unattended and rusting near the entry gate of the campus, bearing a sore sight for the many who knew him.

The man, identified as Ram Prasad, better known as Rakesh, has been missing since June 21, a day after he was allegedly attacked and injured by a blind man and was admitted to Babu Jagjivan Ram hospital by a security guard and some employees of the Sewa Kutir Complex, which comes under the social welfare department and also has a boys hostel for blind. He was later shifted to Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) from where he went missing on June 21. A social welfare department official said Rakesh died at RML and was cremated by the police but neither the police or others who knew him were aware of this.

At the Sewa Kutir Complex, Rakesh’s belongings lie unattended and rusting near the entry gate of the campus, bearing a sore sight for the many who knew him.

The employees of the Sewa Kutir complex, local shopkeepers and some residents who go for a morning or evening walk daily said that Rakesh had been staying on the campus for nearly 20 years and earned his livelihood as a rickshaw puller. He mostly ferried blind residents of the hostel from one place to another, and many remember him as the one feeding stray dogs every morning and evening.

“All his items are getting damaged in the rain and heat. Neither the police nor the officials of Sewa Kutir have made any efforts to preserve his belongings or do anything to find him. I become upset whenever I visit the campus and see the rickshaw and other items lying untouched,” said a government officer, who lives nearby.

Upender Yadav, who belongs to Rakesh’s hometown in Bihar’s Madhubani and works at Sewa Kutir, said, “We visited the hospitals a couple of times but could not find him. His absence and unattended belongings make us feel sad. I just pray that he is alive. The police should do something to find him.”

Recalling the incident of June 20, Prabhat, the security guard who was on night duty at the complex, said that he was having his dinner in the guard room when he heard a scream for help at around 11.30pm. He said he found a blind man, who had been living in the hostel for the blind on the campus at the time, allegedly attacking Rakesh with a sharp or blunt object.

“Some blind men living in the hostel also reached there and they all caught the attacker. I informed the police control room about the attack. We rushed Rakesh to Babu Jagjivan Ram hospital and gave the blind man’s custody to the police at the Mukherjee Nagar police station. I don’t know what happened after that. All I know is that Rakesh went missing from RML hospital and has not returned yet,” said Prabhat.

In the hospital’s and police’s records, Rakesh, was declared as LAMA, a term used to refer to patients who leave (hospitals) against medical advice. The police, which was informed about the crime, have not even registered a first information report (FIR).

When contacted, deputy commissioner of police (northwest) Usha Rangnani said, “When our team went to record the victim’s statement, he was not in a state to give one. Later, the victim disappeared from RML hospital during treatment and did not come back to file a complaint or record his statement. He was declared a LAMA in the hospital’s medical record. Since, the victim’s statement or complaint could not be recorded, no case was registered and we had to shift the blind man to a shelter home run by a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in outer Delhi.”

RML hospital officials were unable to give details pertaining to Rakesh’s treatment till the time of going to press.

When contacted, chief probation officer (CPO) of the social welfare department Mahesh Sharma said that they have launched an enquiry. “We have learnt that Rakesh died at RML hospital and his body was cremated by the police. To authenticate this, we will be speaking to all the police personnel associated with the incident. Also, the blind man was an ex-resident of our hostel and had left it in 2015. However, he used to visit the hostel to meet some residents. Rakesh was not staying in any shelter home inside the complex. We also have learnt that the actual owner of the rickshaw is someone else. Why the owner has not removed the rickshaw till date and how it was allowed inside the premises is also being looked into,” said CPO Sharma.