PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
In response to the recent suicide of an inmate at Nari Niketan in Kedarpur, Women Empowerment and Child Development (WECD) minister Rekha Arya directed the Nari Niketan administration to install CCTV cameras across the campus, ensure regular live monitoring and preserve the recordings aside from taking full care of their mental health. She asserted that strict measures would be implemented to stop recurrence of such incidents in future.
Notably, a 35- year- old inmate of the State-run women shelter in Kedarpur with mental issues had allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself from railing of the staircase recently.
She inspected the scene and conducted detailed inquiries with the Nari Niketan superintendent, other staff members and the watchman who had discovered the body. She said that the investigation is currently ongoing and the post-mortem report is still awaited. “If the investigation uncovers negligence on the part of any officer or employee at Nari Niketan, strict action will be taken against them,” she warned.
Further, Arya spoke to the Dehradun senior superintendent of police over phone to gather information on the progress of the police investigation and directed its prompt completion.
Importantly, the minister directed the department’s secretary and director to actively involve the health department in the all- women shelters across the State to ensure better healthcare for the inmates. She also called for a proposal to appoint psychiatrists to ensure proper care of the mentally ill inmates for presentation in the cabinet.
