Himachal to probe rights violation of mentally challenged

Himachal Pradesh Governor Kalyan Singh has ordered a probe into the alleged violation of human rights of mentally challenged inmates at the government-run Nari Sewa Sadan here, an official said on Wednesday.

In a communique to the additional chief secretary of social justice and empowerment on Tuesday, the governor directed filing of an inquiry report along with action taken report within one month, an official at the Raj Bhawan here told IANS.

He said the inquiry was ordered on the complaint of Shimla-based Umang Foundation chairman Ajai Srivastava, who has also been associated with the probe.

Nari Sewa Sadan, which was set up in 1965 in Shimla, has 30 female inmates and 25 of them are mentally challenged.

There are two foreign nationals, including one from Nepal.

Srivastava in his complaint to the governor alleged that two mentally challenged inmates were deputed with another inmate, who is an AIDS patient, when she was hospitalised in the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital from April 28 to May 11.

They were taking care of the AIDS patient without taking personal safety measures and thus put their lives in danger.

He alleged that the inmates were forced to work on a regular basis. They cleaned the complex, cooked meals and washed clothes.