PATNA: The death of two women inmates of a government-funded shelter home in Patna under mysterious conditions has raised fresh questions on the functioning of the state social welfare department and police even as a probe began to verify allegations that negligence by the staff of the NGO running the facility caused the deaths.
The two women inmates – Naushma alias Babli, 40, and Poonam Bharti, 17 – were allegedly brought dead to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) by a caretaker of the shelter home, Asara Grih. Contradicting the claims made by AHRF officials, PMCH superintendent Dr Rajiv Ranjan Prasad said on Monday that the two inmates were brought dead on Friday night.
A city court on Monday remanded Chirantan Kumar and Manisha Dayal, the manager and treasurer of the NGO Anumaya Human Resources Foundation (AHRF), to three days police custody. The duo was arrested on Sunday after an FIR was registered against them. Two others booked in the case, a doctor and an auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM) attached to the shelter home, are absconding.
Autopsy reports of the two inmates released on Monday did not indicate any external injuries. “Their viscera have been preserved for further examination. We are probing allegations of continual mistreatment of the inmates,” said Patna SSP Manu Maharaaj.
Significantly, the shelter home was raided by a police team a few hours before the two women were rushed to PMCH on Friday. After receiving complaints that four inmates were trying to flee the shelter by breaking a window, the cops had reached there and arrested a local man accused of trying to lure them away.
But neither police officials nor social welfare department officials present during the raid noticed that the two women had been extremely sick. The cops are verifying claims made by Manisha Dayal that the two inmates were already taking medication for high fever and severe diarrhoea.
Even though this shelter home for mentally unstable women houses 74 women against the sanctioned strength of 50, this fact escaped the notice of the social welfare department officials present during the police raid. Sources said most of the inmates were extremely thin and that they also complained that they were provided meals in insufficient quantities and regularly.
As photographs of Manisha Dayal, a former model, with several politicians of the ruling JD(U) and BJP surfaced, these leaders said they had no knowledge about her background and activities and that they had participated in public events organised by her in good faith.
“These deaths, taking place after the Muzaffarpur shelter home sexual abuse, shows the deep-rooted rot in Bihar’s governance system. Only replacing the social welfare minister will not help. CM Nitish Kumar must own up responsibility and quit immediately,” said Bhai Birendra, a senior leader of the main Opposition RJD.