Rampur orphanage a den of horrors

Rampur orphanage a den of horrors

It's a facility meant for the welfare of orphans but the reality is quite horrifying. Inside the state-run Shishu Sadan, scores of children - from infants to six-year-olds -- are living in inhuman conditions. As many as 14 kids are stuffed inside a small room, fed biscuits half-eaten by rats and given medicines that are long past their expiry date. These are the findings of a report by the city's additional chief magistrate who inspected the place recently. The orphanage had been in the news in 2012 when a two-year-old girl died here due to dehydration. Since then, it was being referred to as a 'kasai khana'(butcher-house) by locals. And now, the report seems to have confirmed their fears. "I had visited the orphanage several times to distribute food and clothes to the children. Each time, I found their condition had become worse. In fact, the place had become simply a dumping ground for kids," said Vijay Verma of Jaago India, a social service organisation.