NHRC notice to the Delhi Chief Secretary and Police Commissioner in an incident of fire in an Old Age Shelter Home
PRESS RELEASE
New Delhi, 15th April, 2014
The National Human Rights Commission has taken suo motu cognizance of a media report that two persons were killed in a fire which broke out in an Old Age Shelter Home in Vasant Kunj, New Delhi in the intervening night of 3rd and 4th April, 2014. The dead included 60 year old Ramesh Chand and 27 year old Poonam, a dumb woman who was given this name by the Earth Savior Foundation, an NGO, which was running this Old Age Shelter Home in make shift tents.
The Home primarily houses mentally disabled persons, senior citizens and those left by their children. At the time of incident, there were about 150 inmates in the 10 make shift tents. Most of them were rescued but a few of them were still missing as it was suspected that they would have ran away after the incident.
The Commission has observed that the contents of the press report, if true, amount to serious violation of human rights of the victims. It has issued notices to the Chief Secretary, Government of NCT of Delhi and Delhi Police Commissioner calling for a detailed report in the matter within four weeks.
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New Delhi, 15th April, 2014
The National Human Rights Commission has taken suo motu cognizance of a media report that two persons were killed in a fire which broke out in an Old Age Shelter Home in Vasant Kunj, New Delhi in the intervening night of 3rd and 4th April, 2014. The dead included 60 year old Ramesh Chand and 27 year old Poonam, a dumb woman who was given this name by the Earth Savior Foundation, an NGO, which was running this Old Age Shelter Home in make shift tents.
The Home primarily houses mentally disabled persons, senior citizens and those left by their children. At the time of incident, there were about 150 inmates in the 10 make shift tents. Most of them were rescued but a few of them were still missing as it was suspected that they would have ran away after the incident.
The Commission has observed that the contents of the press report, if true, amount to serious violation of human rights of the victims. It has issued notices to the Chief Secretary, Government of NCT of Delhi and Delhi Police Commissioner calling for a detailed report in the matter within four weeks.
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