The morning before the roll of the Republic Day tableau, a middle-aged man wrapped in a flimsy red rug was found dead on a pavement at Paharganj, a 10-minute drive from Rajpath, with no one and nothing to identify him. His emaciated body was lifted into a police jeep, taken to the mortuary at Maulana Azad Medical College, and fitted into a rack. His picture has since been uploaded on the police database.
In the first 26 days of 2014, 197 thumbnail images have gone up in the gallery of nameless dead.
Everyday, an average of seven people are dying unidentified and unclaimed in Delhi's winter. But what may be even more heart-rending is that such deaths are not limited to this season. As police data shows, they are an all-weather phenomenon. Around 2,900 died unidentified in Delhi last year. 241 perished in January; 225 in April; 279 in July; and, 238 in October. The highest deaths, 323, took place in May. Data for last three years shows that unidentified deaths peaked in summer and monsoon. A majority of such deaths were of able-bodied men.
"All seasons are life threatening for the homeless," says activist Harsh Mander. "These are very destitute people slipping through the cracks."
"Lack of shelter is only part of the problem," says Kirti Mishra of IGSSS, which sets up winter shelters and kitchens. "The bigger question is the uncertainty of livelihood, the strenuous nature of work, and poor nutrition."
Since police database doesn't disclose reasons for death as recorded in postmortem reports of unidentified bodies, it's hard to disaggregate data for murders and suicides, as opposed to those who died due to hunger, illness and bad weather. However, officials at Delhi's mortuaries confirmed most cases weren't "unnatural deaths", supporting the view they were linked to poverty and homelessness.
Altogether, 37,838 people died unidentified across the country in 2012 — more than a hundred deaths a day. While cities like Mumbai and Chennai too report high number of unidentified bodies, Delhi's numbers remain the highest among cities and nearly as high as the whole of Uttar Pradesh.
This could be partly due to the city's extreme climate, but also because it's a catchment area for migrants from some of India's poorest states, which could be additional proof for the link between urban poverty and street deaths. "Those relatively better-off, like rickshawpullers, have social bonds. They know each others' names and addresses and take charge when one of them dies. Only bodies of the very poor come to us," said Bijender Singh, SHO, Kashmere Gate, where six unidentified bodies were found last Saturday.
The bearded man with sunken cheeks found dead under the railway bridge at Paharganj was perhaps at the bottom of the street's social ladder. Even the beggars of the area did not know him.
Four hours after police took away his body, a dog took over the red rug in which he had possibly shivered to death.
Monday 27 January 2014
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/The-everyday-tableau-of-Delhis-nameless-dead/articleshow/29430667.cms
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