Delhi: 'Starved' girls' father gave them unknown medicine, probe finds
What's the story
The father of the three girls who reportedly died due to starvation in Delhi had given them some unknown medicine, a preliminary magisterial probe concluded. The report was submitted to the government.
Notably, the father, Mangal Singh, is untraceable since Tuesday.
Singh mixed some medicine with hot water and gave it to his daughters on July 23. They died a day later.
The incident
The deaths, in heart of Delhi, shocked nation
The news about the deaths of girls has shocked everyone. They reportedly hadn't eaten for eight days, and the family of five used to stay in a windowless room, the size of a car, in Talab Chowk, Mandawali.
The deceased- Mansi (8), Shikha (4) and Parul (2), had no trace of fat on their bodies, and their stomachs were empty, an autopsy report revealed.
The findings
Conduct of father needs to be investigated, reports say
The report questioned the conduct of Singh and implied a deeper investigation.
Further, the report also said that the nutritional condition of the deceased children was not well, although they got some food items regularly.
The girls suffered from loose motion and vomiting which may have been caused due to a stomach infection. But they didn't receive ORS or medical aid, the report said.
The family
Neighbors claim father was alcoholic, no one looked after kids
The neighbors alleged that Singh (apparently a rickshaw-puller) was an alcoholic and was rarely home. No one took proper care of the kids, reportedly.
Neeraj Kumar, a local told IE, that the family's economic condition was bad.
"It was us, neighbors who used to give the children food from time to time, or give them little money to buy something to eat," he said.
The action
Police have launched search to find the missing father
The police have launched a search operation to find Singh. They have also widened the search to Noida, and other places where Singh used to work.
Notably, the police have also found a few bottles of medicine from the small house the family lived in.
The children's mother Beena is said to be mentally unstable. "She could not interact properly," their landlord Pradeep said.
Unused money
Notably, the eldest sister had Rs. 1,800 in account
The probe also found that the eldest sister Mansi, who studied in Class 3, had a little over Rs. 1,800 in her account, which is probably the money government gave as direct benefit transfer to purchase school books or uniform.
Mansi studied at Poorvi Dilli Nagar Nigam Balika Vidyalaya, and attended school only twice in July.
She attended school a day before her death.
Reactions
System has failed, says AAP leader Manish Sisodia
Manish Sisodia, who is the area's MLA, said the deaths were shocking and showed the failure of the system.
Sisodia said he asked officials to tell whether anaganwadis maintained a record of children who needed care or not.
"If yes, why did the incident occur? If not, why weren't the surveys carried out," he said.