Two years after three minor sisters died of starvation and their father went missing in east Delhi’s Mandawali in July 2018, the hunt is still on. The residents there continue to live in pitiable conditions and their children are prone to diseases.
Police sources said the inquest proceedings into the starvation deaths of Mansi (8), Shikha (4) and Parul (2), are complete but the missing case of Mangal Singh, a rickshaw puller, is still open.
“All the paperwork required for inquest proceedings is complete but it is yet to be submitted to the Sub-Divisional Magistrate. The missing report, however, is still being probed. Beat officers and the investigating officer occasionally visit the area to ask about him,” said a senior officer. The final autopsy report received in November 2018 stated that the girls died of malnutrition.
Sources said there have been no leads as yet. However, the children’s mother, who was said to be mentally unfit at the time and was shifted to IHBAS, was taken back to her hometown in West Bengal in December 2018.
On visiting the place where the girls died in a single-room accommodation and where Mangal’s close friend Narayan lived, The Hindu found out that the friend left the place three months after the incident. Narayan was Mangal’s friend for over 25 years and he searched him for a month after he had gone missing.
No bathrooms
The living conditions of the alley where the deaths happened and nearby areas remain as they were at the time of the incident — overflowing drains, a garbage dump and cattle walking all around. There are two toilets for 15 families living in the alley and no bathroom. The women cook and take bath in the same room, said the residents.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, at the time, called the incident a result of “system failure”. “If the deaths happened due to poverty or if it happened due to starvation or any other disease, it is the failure of our system,” he had said.
“There are mosquitoes here all round the year because of the garbage dump. This place is never cleaned. There are all sorts of animals roaming around here as well and the overflowing drain due to the rain adds to our woes. We fear for our children but what can we do? We can’t move because rooms are expensive at other places,” said Aisha Thakur, a resident. She added: “The authorities cared about us only till the case was in limelight”.
An anganwadi, which was functioning right opposite the alley, has moved to the next lane. “It’s shut these days but they send dry ration for children every month,” said Savitri. The room where the girls died is now empty but has been rented out several times in the last two years.
