- Inmates are "detained" under the Karnataka Prohibition of Beggary act. This act makes "begging" a criminal act
- On "suspicion" of being a "beggar", you can be picked up by the police and sent to detention after a magisterial enquiry.
- In reality due process is NOT followed.
- People are picked up and sent into the "custody" of the "Beggar's Home"
- The inmates who have died were in the "custody" of the state. Therefore these deaths are custodial deaths.
- Inmates of the "Beggars Home" - because they are in State custody, are entitled to some Civil Liberties which include - legal aid, visits from relatives, food and basic necessities such a portable water
- None of these were made available to the inmates and the deaths should be treated as "homicide by the state".
- This is not a administration issue, the way the media seeks to portray it. It is a case of custodial death!!
My take:
- The current laws make poverty a crime. The sentence for this crime is "detention" in the "Beggars Home". This is the equivalent of a death sentence.
- Did somebody say we were living in a democracy? Wake up and smell the SHIT!
I still say, we may be independent but we are not free.
ReplyDeleteDemocracy for us now is a slogan only where those in power are heard and rest all are second class citizens
How democratic we are, pl read my latest post
ReplyDeleteLETTER TO THE PM
Totally agree this is a custodial death. I was surprised to know that there is such a thing as Beggars' Home, that too situated in Bangalore!
ReplyDeleteShould begging be illegal? I don't think so. It's no different from a charitable institute that does fund raising. But considering I encounter beggars only at specific spots in the city, I think there's some undeclared zoning going on that I am not aware of, similar to the street food vendors.
It is surely custodial death. A PIL in the Karnataka High court is the only possible relief (though how effective is a question).
ReplyDelete