The Delhi Police has registered a case under the Mental Health Act against two employees of an NGO for allegedly ill treating mentally ill senior citizens.
Police had conducted a raid on the NGO’s Ashram in South West Delhi’s Baba Hari Dass Nagar a week ago after a complaint was filed. Sixty-two children and 23 mentally unstable elderly women were rescued during the raid.
Southwest Delhi DCP Surender Kumar confirmed they are investigating the case. “We are probing the matter. No arrests have been made so far. Further investigations are on,” said Kumar.
Two employees of the NGO have also been booked under Protection of Child from Sexual Offence Sex (POCSO) as it was alleged that a minor girl was forced to strip and was paraded naked.
A police officer involved in the investigation said Prem Dham Ashram being run by the NGO Human Care International is situated at Dichaun Kalan in South West Delhi.
The officer said the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) of the Delhi Government had lodged a complaint with police that they had conducted several inspections at the Ashram and found irregularities in the upkeep of girl children and senior citizens (women).
The CWC had reportedly warned the NGO employees on several occasions to take proper care of the mentally ill senior citizens and not to harass or torture them.
The officer said despite being warned the NGO employees were not paying any heed to them. The CWC team then conducted a surprise visit and reportedly made a film and took several photographs of the entire Ashram.
“Two girl children were found naked. One of them was bathing. There were male children as well who were reportedly watching them. A few senior citizens were also bathing in open. The team also found that mentally ill senior citizens were not being looked after as per the described guidelines. The CWC then lodged a case with the Baba Haridas Nagar Police Station,” the officer said
A team of Delhi Police and CWC then conducted another raid at the Asharm but the Ashram people did not allow police to take mentally ill senior citizen and children away.
RK Massey the official of the NGO approached the Delhi High Court and filed a plea against the action of CWC but the High Court found the CWC act correct and ordered to transfer the children from the Ashram. Police then rescued 22 senior citizen women, 62 children including 39 girls and 22 boys from the Asharm. They were sent to Nari Niketan and Child Observation Houses.
The police officer said during the probe it was learnt that the NGO was not holding any licence to run psychiatric nursing homes.
“We have registered a case under sections 6 (Establishment or Maintenance of Psychiatric hospitals or psychiatric nursing homes only with licence), and 85 (General Provisions for punishment under this act) of Mental Health Act read with several sections of POCSO at Baba Hari Dass Nagar Police Station,” the police officer said.
R K Massey the official of the NGO denied that he was violating any rules or was mentally harassing any mentally ill senior citizen women. Police said they were looking into the matter. The police said that they will record the statement of other employees of the Ashram to take further necessary action.
“I have been running this Ashram for around thirty years. I have been looking after poor children and the abandoned senior citizens who are mentally ill. How can I even think of torturing them. CWC team is against me. They are intentionally harassing me. An official of CWC team who doesn’t like me, created all this situation to teach me a lesson,” Massey said.
The police said they were looking into the matter. The police said that they will record the statement of other employees of the Ashram to take further necessary action.