Latest news with #Nazreen
Time of India
2 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Out of sight, out of support: Disability care lags in Delhi's slums in most trying of times
New Delhi: In the congested pockets of Delhi's working-class neighbourhoods — from Old Seemapuri to Okhla's Batla House — conversations about disability rarely come up. When they do, they are soon drowned by disbelief, confusion and stigma. This disconnect was clear when NGO Astha, which works with children with disabilities, presented its findings, 'Covid-19 and Children and Persons with Disabilities in Urban Slums of Delhi' on Tuesday. The findings of Astha's outreach, which spanned over 40 underserved settlements, more than 2,000 helpline calls and intensive work with over 250 children, are clear: nine of every 10 children with disabilities lost access to therapy and learning during the pandemic and only 3.6% of children under eight years received disability pension. Raising a child with a disability in a low-income household often means doing it alone without information or assistance. For instance, Rubina didn't even know what autism was. When undergoing an ultrasound test at a local clinic, she was told something might be wrong with the baby's brain. Later, at the govt hospital, the advice was blunt: "There's a chance he might not survive or consult regularly." The boy, the second of her three children, is now five. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 목주름 줄인 방법 정리해봄 (실제 후기) 9년차 연구원 최소정 지금 구매하기 Undo You Can Also Check: Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi Rubina, who lives in Old Seemapuri with her husband, an electronics shop salesman, and has a household income rarely crossing Rs 15,000, didn't know what to do. When the pandemic hit, even the hospital visits stopped. With some help through phone consultations, she carried the pregnancy to term. Her son was born looking healthy, but within months, she saw "he wouldn't make eye contact, wouldn't hold our hands, didn't try to stand". The hardest part for Rubina was not hearing her son call her mamma. "It still hurts," she murmured. While the doctors declared it autism, the family though he was just slow, sometimes feared it was nazar (evil eye). But it was there to stay. "It is a bitter truth," said Rubina. They didn't know what to do about his schooling until they got in touch with Astha when the boy was three. The NGO helped them push for official paperwork and it took two years of follow-ups before she finally got his disability certificate this year. Today, her son goes to a private school under the EWS quota. "We tried govt schools, but we didn't feel confident. Who would sit with him? Who would help him eat or open his tiffin?" she said. "When he started school, it was a new journey for all of us." In Batla House's Hazi Colony, Nazreen had a similar experience. Her seven-year-old son didn't respond to his name as a baby. "At first, we thought maybe he was just the quiet type or maybe he couldn't hear," she revealed. But as time passed, the signs of autism became clearer. "If people like us don't even know what autism is, how can we help our children? There should be awareness campaigns, like for polio, simple, clear, everywhere," she said. For Pooja Singh, who lives in a slum cluster in Okhla, the struggles began even earlier. Her first child had a seizure just 15 days after birth. The hospital cost came to more than Rs 60,000. "We have no idea how we managed it," she said. "But was there another option?" That hospital visit was just the first of many. A health crisis in the family arose every year or two until even the second child was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a rare degenerative muscle condition. "The doctor said the name, but we couldn't even pronounce it, let alone understand it," said Singh. What made things worse was the lack of any guidance. "People remark that such children are not normal or that it's bad luck. But who tells you what help is available?" Singh asked. With two children who needed different kinds of support, life hasn't been easy. The family income of around Rs 12,000 barely covers food and rent. "Even diapers cost Rs 500 a month. That's a lot for us," she said. Her eldest son still struggles. "He goes to school, but there is not much progress. Therapy takes two hours every day," she sighed. The younger son is in a better position now but is yet to get his disability pension approved. "The paperwork is endless. Nothing moves," she complained. These stories reveal what policy numbers often miss: disability does not come with a roadmap for low-income families. Instead, there's silence, judgment, ignorance and difficult-to-access systems. Pratik Aggarwal, executive director of Astha, said: "Children with disabilities were among the first to be excluded when services collapsed. Yet, because Astha's model is rooted in hyperlocal systems and relationships, families and communities didn't wait—they responded. Big learning? Local systems only work in emergencies if they are built with communities, not delivered to them."
Hindustan Times
29-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Constable's murder: Nahal residents terrified after police raids
Ghaziabad A week after a Noida police constable was shot dead during a raid in Ghaziabad's Nahal village, the arrest tally has risen to 14. But according to residents, at least 50 to 60 more men have been picked up or detained in sweeping midnight raids that have left the village nearly deserted and families on edge. Around 70% of the village residents vacated by Tuesday, but the situation of those staying behind remained tense, locals said, adding that the village has heavy police presence and their property has been damaged by police in late-night raids. Forty-five-year-old Nazreen, standing beside a half-broken portion of her house's main door, blamed police for the damage, alleging a group of policemen forcefully entered her residence and conducted a raid late Monday. 'It was the second night after the murder. Dozens of policemen barged in well past midnight, broke the door, and stormed the house looking for my sons,' she said. 'They live and work at a mill. They've been there for 10 days. I kept telling the police, but they searched the whole house.' Locals claimed that at least 50—mostly men aged between 20 and 35—men were picked up on suspicionbut have yet to return or be officially acknowledged as arrested. 'Overall, we called about 50-60 persons for questioning. Thirteen were formally arrested, while Qadir was already arrested. Others were allowed to go. We are carefully investigating the case based on evidence,' said Surendra Nath Tiwary, deputy commissioner of Ghaziabad police (rural). Noida police constable Saurabh Kumar was shot dead on Sunday night by unidentified people in a mob, when a group of seven officers were visiting the village to arrest one Qadir, an accused in a case of a music system and ECM theft from a car on the intervening night of May 2 and 3 in Noida. The Noida police registered an FIR for theft on May 21 against unidentified persons at the Phase 3 police station and conducted a raid around 11pm on May 25. Nazreen said that the policemen, besides breaking the main door of the house, damaged a big mirror, a washing machine, and a desert cooler. 'They stayed in my house for about half-an-hour and kept questioning my family. I told them that they should look for the actual person who shot the constable, and spare innocent people. Ever since, I have been using a charpoi to cover the main door to keep my house shut,' she said. Forty-year-old Munni, who stays near Nazreen's house, said a group of over 30 policemen raided her house in the night as well. 'They were banging on the door, and when we did not open, they broke it open. They detained my husband, Nazar Mohammad and my brother-in-law's son, Sultan. They were asking if there were more men in the house. They also broke water taps with their lathis.' 'For the past three days, we cooked nothing. The whereabouts of my husband and my nephew are still unknown. We heard that they were kept in Modinagar's Niwari. My husband is a daily wage worker. Now, I am left with only my minor daughter and my mother-in-law in the house,' Munni said. She said her three sons were spared as they worked outstation, at Rishikesh and Dadri. Police, however, denied the allegations. DCP Tiwary said: 'Claims that police resorted to damage to the houses are baseless and such allegations are false. No such thing happened.' The village is located about three kilometres from National Highway 9, alongside the Upper Ganga Canal, and falls under the jurisdiction of the Masuri police station. Discrepancies in police versions The raid by Noida police in Ghaziabad and the subsequent death of the constable have exposed a lack of coordination between the Gautam Budh Nagar and Ghaziabad police. The versions provided by the police also point to differing sequences of events that took place during the raid. The FIR lodged by Noida police at Masuri police station in Ghaziabad on Monday was registered under multiple stringent sections of the BNS, including murder, attempt to murder, rioting, assault on a public servant, and criminal conspiracy, along with provisions of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act. It named Qadir, his brother, and unidentified others as accused. The Noida police also said in the FIR that they were twice attacked and fired upon indiscriminately by the mob in Nahal. However, Ghaziabad police said there was no evidence to prove the same. Maintaining that the Noida police failed to inform them in advance about the raid, Ghaziabad police said the investigation so far did not show there was indiscriminate firing. They maintained that only one bullet casing was found at the scene of the incident. 'All the 14 suspects were booked as they were part of the mob, as indicated in the CCTV videos. As of now, we have sent them to jail under the sections mentioned in the murder FIR lodged by the Noida police. The role of each suspect will be identified during the investigation, and the final sections imposed on each of them will be ascertained in the charge sheet,' DCP Tiwary said.
