Firing a fresh salvo at the Congress and the BJP over the infamous Nari Niketan issue, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s women wing leaders said on Tuesday that the State Governments run by both the parties in succession had landed the State-run home for the distressed women in dire straits. The party’s women affiliate’s leader Dr Upma Aggarwal said things remaining mired in gloom of negligence, as many as 19 inmates had died between 2009 and 2016.
She said her party would continue demanding CBI inquiry into the procession of deaths as well as the alleged rape and abortion of another inmate.
“Moreover, we demand the State government to draft a plan under Mental Health Act 1987 and India lunacy Act 1912 to take care of the enrolled inmates of the shelter home. Apart from this, the medical and health departments must be made aware of their responsibility and to act accordingly under the above-mentioned acts on the issues related to women and children,” she said.
She further said that responsibility for the sordid happenings in the home must be fixed and those responsible- be it ministers, department officers and employees- must be penalized for failing to discharge duties. The Morcha member claimed that as per information received through RTI, BJP is more to blame than the Congress. “On July 2007, then principal secretary and commissioner Vinita Kumar had directed the officers to enroll all the inmates who are mentally ill in Nari Niketan. However this decision was wrong under Mental Health Act 1987 and lunacy Act 1912. Under these mentally ill inmates should be enrolled in mental hospitals,” she said.