Out of 14 Inmates Who Died at Asha Kiran Shelter Home, Some Had Comorbidities: Atishi

Additional Chief Secretary of the Revenue Department has been asked to probe the deaths of 14 inmates of the Asha Kiran shelter home in northwest Delhi's Rohini.

New Delhi:Delhi Revenue Minister Atishi Singh said on Friday that out of the 14 inmates at the Asha Kiran shelter home, some had comorbidities, and added that if any negligence is found, the guilty will not be spared.

Addressing a press conference, Atishi said Asha Kiran has 980 inmates and 450 caretakers."It is a shelter home for the intellectually disabled. There are different kinds of intellectual disability. Those suffering from profound or serious disability have other comorbidities also. The deaths of the 14 inmates in July is a serious matter," she noted. Out of the 14 inmates who died, 13 were adults and one was minor.

"The autopsy report of the inmates is awaited. But some of the inmates had comorbidities. Some of those who succumbed were hospitalised in June. What I am saying is that their deaths need to be medically examined also," she said.

Earlier in the day, the minister directed the Revenue Department to initiate a magisterial inquiry into the deaths and submit a report within 48 hours. She directed the additional chief secretary of revenue to immediately initiate the inquiry into the whole matter as reported in the media.

Expressing concern over the matter the minister said, "14 people have died in Delhi Government's Home for the Mentally Challenged (Asha Kiran) in Rohini.

Atishi said they "reportedly occurred due to health issues and malnutrition and indicates the lack of availability of requisite facilities to the inmates".

"It is very shocking to hear such bad news in the capital city of Delhi and we cannot tolerate such kind of lapses, if found true. This is a very serious issue and needs to be thoroughly investigated in order to take hard steps to revamp the whole system to improve the conditions of all such homes to provide better facilities to the inmates," the minister said.

"Recommend action to be taken against those whose negligence has caused these deaths. Recommend suggestive measures to be taken to prevent the occurrence of such incidents in future," the note issued by the minister here said.

Asha Kiran is a Delhi government-run facility for the "mentally challenged" and comes under its Social Welfare Department. The department is currently without a head following the resignation of Raaj Kumar Anand. (With Agency Inputs)

Read More