ASYLUM

While social activists were still digging deep into the traditional dictionaries words that could at least "describe"(if not stir up ur national cosience),the gruesome tragedy of the death of the mentally-challenged n pre-dawn devastating fire in an asylum-attached to a place of worship in Ervadi (Tamil Nadu) on August 6, another bold Patiala-based bold journalist, Jangveer Singh had exposed the inhuman treatment to the inmates of an "ashrama'-All India Pingalwara Asharama, to be specify, at Sanuar, about four kms from Patiala,the home town of the PPCC President,
Amrinder Singh, a scion of the Patiala's erstwhile royal family.

According to the Patiala incident report, scores of mentally challend inmates of the
Pingalwara, including women, had been chained in the open, for years, another many were locked in dark dingy rooms.

According to Jangveer Singh's report, based in a 'sewadar's version,"most women of the Pingalwara Ashram rarely ever see light of the day with workers cleaning them during morning ablutions and feeding them in the room itself. The men have only stars for company and severely mentally challenged remain in the open in the night also. A spell of rain is also not enough to take them indoors."

Pointing out to Kala, one of chained inmates, the 'sewaradar' said the man had been in the ashram for five years.Others had there for periods ranging from one to two years. In all, there are 9 to 10 inmates who re still chained in the open. A similar number of women have been lodged in a 10 ft by 12 ft room.

In the winters, the Pingalwara inmates are chained to their iron beds .There men are chained close to each other. The journalist claims to have seen one inmate prancing abut absolutely naked waddling in the mud.

Surprisingly, the Sanaur Ppingalwara is a "recognised institution". The Punjan Finance
Minister, Darshan Singh, during his recent visit to the village gave a grant of Rs. One lakh for this 'ashram' and laid foundation-stone of an emergency wing and a dispensar.The chief minister, Prakash Singh too gave a similar grant during his "Sangat Darshan" visit to Sanaur, recently. The emergency ing nd dispensary are yet to come up and the mentally-challenged inmates continue to live at the mercy of God in most in-human conditions!

Another' sewadar. conforms that sedatives are administered to the Pingalwara inmates to clam them whenever they create nuisance. But no doctors ever prescribe these sedatives.
Punjab Human Rights Commission- Chairman, Mr V K Khanna, has promised to look into the matter! It is anybody's guess intoday's Bharat Desh Hamara, if one can expect any action from our self-seeking insensitive politician whose sole object is to hanker after pelf and power! Our thick-skinned Parliamentarian, bureaucrats and even medical establishments ,which run the affairs of Indian society with rich cultural heritage, like a banana republic!

Where has the compassion gone! What has happened to the lavishly worded Article 51-A of the Fundamental Duties enshrined in our constitution, to treat every
living being with compassion. It is really a shame in India, there are people who love dogs and cats, wash them with choicest shampoos and kiss them with
affection, leaving the unfortunately mentally(and even physically)challenged fellow citizens to be in chains, most in the premnises of institutions officially acclaimed as religious bodies! We have changed the Indian Lunacy Act,1912 into a Mental Health Act,1987 which has n force since April 1,1993,But as the happenings in Eravadi, Agra, Ranchi, Bareilly, Shahdara, Chandranagar(near Kiolkata), Delkhi and now in Punjab, indicate, the high-sounding Mental Health Act,1987 and Article 51-A
of the Constitution have been dumped in the same gutter where similar laws have found in their past.
In post-Nazi Germany and Europe after the Vietnam War, when thousands had to cope
With acute schizophrenia,'social psychology'was utilised to cure the malaise. In India, nothing of this sort has ever been imagined-in our land of Rishis,Maharishis,Mahatmas,Sadhus,Sanyasis,Shankracharyas,Hajis,Mullahs
and Maulivis!
Dr A B Dutt ,Superintendent of Duttanagar Mental Health Centre (WB)had long back legally affirmed that "nobody has the risht to restrain the movement of mental lt-challened (unless they are declared dangerous),leave alone detain them. Olny one out of 500 such patients requires hospitalisation, Dr Duut adds. Though the TN Chief Minister, Jayalalitha has condemned the Eravadi incident, TN has a sad history of
pushing under the carpet, the recommendations of the National Human Rights Commission(NHRC). There are numerous such instances, such as Sultan Alayudeen Darga at Goipalayam (near Mudura) Report of late 90s.
It was time, the NGOs put their heads together and well-meaning religious heads of all faiths to cure this holy land of shames of treating human being worse that even mad dogs! We must change our apathy and medieval mindset. It is for us and for nobody else to expose these so-called aslums, mad houses or whatever
epithet once decides to call these repositories of insanity.