Asha Kiran shelter home administrator appointed ‘internally’ by Delhi govt: LG

The Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday questioned Lt Governor V K Saxena why an officer previously “suspended” for allegedly taking bribe was appointed as administrator of Asha Kiran shelter home where 14 inmates died in July.
Officials at Raj Niwas clarified the administrator was appointed “internally” by the Social Welfare Department which is a fully and totally transferred subject under the control of the chief minister and the minister concerned.
He was not appointed by the LG, they claimed.
At a press conference earlier in the day, senior AAP leader and Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj claimed that the administrator of the shelter home, Rahul Agarwal, was arrested by the CBI in 2016 for taking a “bribe” and remained suspended for five years.
“I want to know on what ground the LG appointed Rahul Agarwal as administrator of the shelter home where various irregularities and shortcomings have been reported after the extraordinarily large number of deaths of intellectually challenged persons,” he said.
No immediate reaction was available from Agarwal.
Clearing their stand, Raj Niwas officials said the administrator, being a DANICS officer, was posted to the Social Welfare department on February 15, 2021, after approval of the then L-G.
Thereafter, the minister concerned posted him as administrator of Asha Kiran Home, an official said, adding the AAP’s claims are “blatantly wrong and arrogantly misleading”.
“Typical abuse and scoot by AAP and its leaders and ministers,” the Raj Niwas official said, slamming the ruling party.
At the press conference, Bharadwaj had asked the L-G why no action has been taken against the shelter home administrator and the social welfare department secretary in the matter.
The AAP leader said the power of transfer and posting of officers is wielded by the LG through the Services department and the responsibility lies with him.
“I want to ask the BJP-ruled Central government and the LG that when all these things are available in the public domain, then what was the compulsion that they handed over the responsibility of Asha Kiran Home to such a corrupt officer?” he said in a statement.
Bharadwaj claimed the post of administrator and superintendent of the shelter home was considered “very lucrative” because of the opportunities it presented in “making money as the purchase of ration, medicines and other items were involved”.
On the other hand, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva alleged that the revenue minister of the AAP government was “running away” from her responsibility because as per a gazette notification of August 14, 2023, every department not allotted to a minister came under her charge.
The Social Welfare department is headless after the resignation of Raaj Kumar Anand as minister in charge of the department. Anand also quit AAP in April this year.
“(Revenue minister) Atishi should take moral responsibility for the unfortunate deaths at Asha Kiran Home and apologise to the people of Delhi,” Sachdeva said.
Bharadwaj, however, claimed that as per his information, it was directed by the Centre that any department not having a minister would be supervised by its secretary.
He also claimed that no action was taken against any officer of the MCD or DDA in other cases of deaths in Old Rajinder Nagar and East Delhi. He further questioned why no action was taken against the chief secretary for not furnishing the report of a third-party audit on the desilting of drains.
AAP MLA Durgesh Pathak, while addressing a press conference, said there cannot be a bigger blot for any society than this.
“Why did LG give Agarwal the charge of the shelter home? It has been two days. Why no action has been taken against these people? The vigilance report on Agarwal should also be made public,” he demanded.
The Delhi government on Friday ordered a magisterial probe into the death of 14 inmates of the Asha Kiran shelter home in Rohini last month.
The Lt Governor has also directed an investigation into the running of the Delhi government’s shelter homes, including the deaths at Asha Kiran. He termed the deaths “an act of criminality against the most disadvantaged”.