NHRC issues notice to Delhi govt over plight of shelter home inmates

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has sent a notice to the Delhi government over the reported plight of the inmates of a shelter home in the Nizamuddin area here, officials said on Monday.

In a statement, the NHRC said it has also asked its director general (investigation) to depute a team headed by a deputy superintendent of police to conduct an on-the-spot fact-finding investigation in the matter and submit a report to it.

The commission has observed that the contents of a media report, if true, amount to a serious issue of violation of human rights of the helpless inmates.

The NHRC said it has taken suo-motu (on its own) cognisance of the media report on the plight of the shelter home inmates. "Reportedly, they have been starving for food as the supply of the same by the government has been stopped," it said.

It is the duty of the state to ensure that no one at the shelter home goes without food even for a day, the rights panel said.

Accordingly, it has issued a notice to the Delhi chief secretary, seeking a detailed report within a week on the present status of food supply at the shelter home and the health condition of the inmates, particularly children, sick and elderly people, the statement said.

According to the media report published on April 28, there are about 500 inmates at the shelter home. Some of them stay with their young children and cannot even arrange a square meal for them. Looking at the deteriorating condition of the poor inmates, including the sick and elderly, the caretakers of the shelter home are trying to feed them from their own pockets, the statement said.