'Situation is terrible...': Asha Kiran worker after 25 inmates suffer from TB due to reduced diets

Alarming claims have emerged from a government-run Asha Kiran shelter home in Rohini, where a worker has disclosed dire living conditions for inmates, including the troubling revelation that at least 25 residents are currently suffering from tuberculosis. 

Speaking anonymously to India Today TV, the worker highlighted a stark decline in the quality of care provided to residents over the past four years. Once receiving a nutritious diet that included rice, dal, chapati, vegetables, and fruits, the inmates now face serious dietary restrictions, contributing to deteriorating health conditions in the facility.

The worker described the situation as "terrible," stating, “Half of those living there don’t even have clothes to wear. They get limited food. The situation is not what it used to be four years ago.” 

Her comments arrive amidst a concerning investigation by a sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), which revealed that 14 inmates have died within the last 20 days. Among the deceased, only one was a minor, while the others were adults, including eight women and six men.

The SDM office noted that while the shelter home has the capacity to accommodate 500 individuals, nearly 950 people currently reside there. Authorities are awaiting post-mortem reports for the deceased inmates to determine the cause of death, and a report on the findings will be submitted to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

In response to the escalating crisis, the National Commission for Women (NCW) has dispatched a fact-finding team to the shelter, criticizing the Delhi government for its negligence. NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma expressed her outrage, stating, “For years, the Asha Kiran shelter home run by the Delhi government has lost all asha (hope). People are suffering and dying in it and the Delhi government does nothing, nothing at all.”

Delhi Minister Atishi has questioned the reported number of deaths, directing the additional chief secretary of the Revenue department to initiate a magisterial probe and submit a report within 48 hours. 

As scrutiny intensifies over the conditions at the Asha Kiran shelter home, the plight of its residents has raised urgent concerns about the welfare of vulnerable populations under government care.