Pratik Das, Pune
After several deaths at a Delhi shelter home for the intellectually challenged were discovered in July, authorities in the Capital started multiple investigations, including a detailed report, to check how these places operate and find out who is responsible.
Reports on Friday revealed the poor conditions at Asha Kiran shelter home in Rohini, north Delhi, causing authorities to scramble and start investigations. The Delhi government ordered a detailed inquiry, while Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena instructed Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar to take action against the facility’s administrator and produce a report on all homes run by the social welfare, women and child departments, and the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board within three weeks.
The report submitted by the social welfare secretary to the LG on August 2 stated that 28 inmates have died at the shelter home since January 2024. In July, 14 people died, including 13 adults and one minor.
Revenue Minister Atishi ordered an investigation and told the additional chief secretary to submit a report within 48 hours. She also asked officers to suggest ways to prevent such incidents. The order mentioned that these deaths were reportedly due to health issues and malnutrition, showing that necessary facilities were not available for the inmates. “This is a serious issue that needs thorough investigation to improve conditions in all such homes,” she said.
“The Additional Chief Secretary for Revenue is ordered to start a detailed investigation right away and submit a report within 48 hours. The report should also recommend actions against those responsible for these deaths due to negligence,” the order added.
Separately, Saxena’s order to CS Kumar stated that the deaths show a “failure to do one’s duty” and a “criminal act against the most vulnerable.”
Some of the death reports showed that the inmates were hospitalized with symptoms like gastroenteritis, drowsiness, malnutrition, dehydration, and anemia convulsions. The final autopsy reports are still pending. Some of these conditions were also combined.
The worker claimed that the deaths in July were due to “contaminated water.” “There are no water filters here. Most inmates are malnourished when they arrive and need a good diet, but they get bland and stale rotis and dal. We used to get eggs and fruit, but that stopped. Sometimes, we don’t even get rice. Many inmates have skin infections from bed sores and dirty floors,” he added.
Another worker, who has been at the shelter for two years, told reporters that more than 20 inmates have tuberculosis.
“Some inmates don’t get to eat vegetables. Many get sick and get TB because of poor hygiene and a limited diet. We are also overworked. The rooms are dirty, and I have seen feces left in rooms for days. When we report these problems, they are ignored,” he said, adding that the management keeps more than 40 inmates in a single room.
A senior Delhi Jal Board (DJB) official said they tested water samples from the shelter home and found that the water was safe to drink, with no visible contamination. DJB staff informally suggested that food poisoning might have caused the illnesses.