Woes of beggars outside Delhi's Hanuman Temple increase amid lockdown

As several temples across India, including the fabled Hanuman Temple in Delhi's Connaught Place have been closed due to the pan-India lockdown imposed in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak, it has left many beggars depending for alms at this temple, in a worst situation.

Usually, thousands of beggars and people from outside who do not have any other place to reside gather at this temple and they are largely dependant on the food served here regularly.

Now that the temple is shut due to the lockdown, devotees are not visiting here and the beggars are left with no source of food and money.

Even after the State government is working towards providing food to the needy people amid lockdown, the beggars over here are still forced to starve due to the unavailability of basic food and water in this area.

However, sometimes the hapless beggars are lucky enough to feed themselves once in a day with the help of a few social workers, otherwise they are forced to sit outside the temple with empty stomachs.

There woes increase as police comes to shoo them away at night while they are sleeping. However, these beggars end up coming back at the same place outside the temple as they do not have any other place to reside.

Many people who have been staying at this temple from a long time told ANI that they have been injured several times as the police beat them with sticks to shoo them away.

A woman hailing from Bihar's Darbhanga is stuck here and is unable to go back to her village amid the lockdown. She has been sitting outside the Hanuman Mandir for the past four days with an empty stomach.

Police officials are trying to make these people aware of maintaining social distancing and not to gather in the wake of coronavirus threat.

Most of the people who used to sit outside the temple have now dispersed after the imposition of the lockdown. However, there are still few beggars who are unable to leave this place in a hope to get some food each day.