Central Relief Committee

STARTLING FINDINGS

HC directs 3 officers ofto stand trial for 264 inmates’ death in concentration camp-like conditionsIt wasn’t 12 or 20 or even 100 as we were lulled into believing for years. The spine-chilling fact is the special drive to rid Bengaluru of beggars in 2010 resulted in a concentration-camp-like situation and caused the death of 264 people. The crisis reached such epidemic proportions that a definite number was not given to the total deaths even as the dead were cremated in various crematoriums in the city. It’s only now that the horrifying numbers and details are tumbling out. The details of the enquiry report on the deaths has been quoted by the High Court while it rejected the plea of four government officers to quash the case against them for causing the 264 deaths.The High Court on July 28 paved the way for the trial of three officers of the Central Relief Committee for “causing death by negligence” of 264 inmates. The government had not even bothered to vacate the stay on investigation granted four years ago.The Beggars Relief and Rehabilitation Centre, officially called the Nirashrithara Parihara Kendra (NPK) is commonly known as the Beggars Colony and is situated on Magadi Road. It is run by the Central Relief Committee.The NPK shot to infamy in the third week of August 2010. Day in and day out, deaths of a large number of inmates were reported. The pathetic conditions of the inmates were revealed and, instead of rehabilitation, it looked like they were slowly being put to death. After a clutch of politicians visited the NPK things went from bad to worse. Current CM Siddaramaiah, who was then in the Opposition, visited the place and asked the inmates to run away. Many did. The then chief minister, B S Yeddyurappa, ordered an enquiry into the deaths after visiting NPK on August 22, 2010.The inquiry officer was IAS officer S Selvakumar, mission director of National Rural Health Mission. A two-volume report was submitted to the government and by a government order dated November 1, 2011, a case was filed by the Kamakshipalya Police.The four officers named in the case are Hanumanthrayappa, 55, head warder, Lakshmi Narasimhaiah, 55, superintendent, D Bhagyalakshmi, receiving officer and S Krishne Gowda, secretary. They were charged under Section 304-A of the Indian Penal Code for “causing death by negligence”. The case came up before the V additional chief metropolitan magistrate. On April 25, 2012, the four approached the HC to get the case against them quashed. The original case was pending till Justice AN Venugopala Gowda sent it back for trial three days ago. In the meantime the last officer, Krishne Gowda has died.Rejecting the officers’ plea to quash the case, the HC pointed to the enquiry report. The enquiry report mentioned lack of supervision and co-ordination in the NPK and poor maintenance of records of inmates. The report also pointed to registers and records being tampered with the connivance of the administration, procedural lapses, medical negligence, sorry state of affairs of the dormitories with “cleanliness and medical care taking a backseat.”The advocate for the four officers had argued before the HC that they were not responsible for the deaths, “as the inmates died due to old age, general weakness.” The government advocate submitted the findings of the enquiry report pointing out that the case was filed because the administrators of NPL lacked “humane touch and concern towards the beggars, who were housed in the NPK and their lives having not been valued.”The HC in its order noted “there is no dispute with regard to the loss of 264 human lives between January and August 2010 at the NPK.” It said the case registered against the officers was correct as the report disclosed the “commission of a cognisable offence, justifying the registration of the crime and investigation by the police.”The HC directed the Kamakshipalya police to conduct the investigation “with expedition and submit the final report to the learned Magistrate with utmost expedition.”However, the fate of the officers even if found guilty will not weigh up to what the inmates of NPK went through. It is because Section 304A under which they are charged sanctions a punishment of “imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.”2,500 beggars in the centre which can house only 750 inmatesMany beggars were remanded without being produced before a magistrateMedical care devoid of professionalismFood, water unfit for consumption; malnutrition, anaemia led to deathsBodies lying in the dormitory for 2-3 daysLack of humane touch and concern in their care