At least 42 seniors were saved from an ‘illegal’ old-age home in Noida, where authorities found women bound and several residents housed without clothes in basement-style rooms.
The shocking case surfaced after police, along with members of the Uttar Pradesh State Women Commission and the State Welfare Department, raided the Anand Niketan Vridha Seva Ashram located in Sector 55 on Thursday, PTI said. The institution, which was in a dilapidated condition, was found to be running without having any valid registration.
Viral Video Exposes Everything!
The raid came after an allegedly tied-up woman was featured in a viral video inside the Ashram. The individual who recorded the clip maintained it depicted the humane situation at the Anand Niketan facility.
Meenakshi Bharala, a commission member, corroborated that she was shown a woman bound during the raid and many others locked up in dingy, basement-like conditions. “Many of the men did not even have clothes, while many elderly women were found half-dressed,” she added.
No Documents, No Staff, No Care
Upon request to produce official papers, the operator did not produce any, and the authorities thus proclaimed the ashram unlawful. Though in operation since 1994, it had never been registered.
“This old-age home is totally illegal,” Bharala confirmed
“There were 42 elderly residents in the ashram. Three of them will be relocated to a government-run old-age home on Friday, and the others will be relocated to other sanctioned government-run facilities within the next five days.”
The ashram is to be sealed by the administration. The investigators also discovered that the facility was charging individuals Rs. 2.5 lakh per individual to accommodate residents, with a Rs. 20,000 security deposit and Rs. 10,000–Rs. 12,000 monthly for living expenses and food, as reported by Live Hindustan.
Abuse Despite High Fees
In spite of the exorbitant fees, the ashram had no qualified staff to take care of its geriatric residents. The majority were made to look after themselves, and many were in soiled clothes, urine and faeces-stained.
There were also said to be parents of well-remunerated Noida households amongst the residents. A female who said she was a nurse was present on premises, but turned out to be a school graduate without medical training.
When asked, the management justified their actions on the grounds of having tied up some elderly individuals for their own safety. “Earlier, they had injured themselves or defecated or urinated on others. So, they were tied up to protect them,” they explained.
The raid was carried out in the presence of officials from the District Probation Office, District Social Welfare Office, and local police.