Sixty Breeds Insecurity

On June 22, the highly decomposed bodies of an old couple were found at their house in Jangpura. The post-mortem revealed the woman was s...

On June 22, the highly decomposed bodies of an old couple were found at their house in Jangpura. The post-mortem revealed the woman was stabbed more than 20 times and the man 10 times. Barely a week before, another 59-year-old man was allegedly murdered by his son.

These are just two stray incidents that have made it to newspaper pages recently. But it8217;s indication enough that the security of the 13 lakh senior citizens in Delhi is very, very weak and sketchy. And ironically enough, in the International Year of Older People, these senior citizens live with constant fear, insecurity and trauma.

8220;Most problems of old people stem from immense insecurity 8212; not just physical, but mental and emotional. Vulnerability and physical weakness, the collapse of the joint family which leaves them isolated, and the fact that they depend on others often lures people to take advantage of their loneliness. Strangers and family members find them easy targets,8221; says G. M. Chopra, Chairman, Senior Citizens8217; Forum, Greater Kailash.

As far as old people are concerned, security is totally slack. 8220;The basic problem stems from the fact that there is not enough police manpower available to look after us,8221; says Wng. Comm.Dr. Bhattacharya, Executive Member, Senior Citizens8217; Welfare Association, Vasant Kunj. 8220;People in Delhi fail to co-operate because there is hardly any interaction between the neighbours. Everyone is caught up with busy schedules and no one really comes out to see or even ask if we need anything,8221; he laments. He8217;s been living alone, with only his maid for help, for the past 10 years after he married off both his daughters. 8220;The administration hasn8217;t been forthcoming at all, especially when it comes to providing us with a decent place where we can sit and at least talk to one another,8221; remarks Brigadier Ajit Singh, who8217;s trying his best to form a separate Senior Citizens8217; Welfare Association in Vasant Vihar. 8220;Noise pollution and accidents caused by the uncontrolled traffic on the Vasant Vihar road is a menace to us butno one really shows concern,8221; he adds, remembering an unpleasant incident when he was hit by a car last year.

There are several reasons responsible for the enormous number of crimes against old people. Often, they are physically vulnerable and cannot resist attack. Then, they need assistance in carrying out daily duties, and tend to rely on a friendly face or hired domestic help. The need of the hour, therefore, is to make aged citizens aware of the dangers they face and request them to be more careful in allowing people to enter their homes.

8220;Our aim is to listen to and also inform older people as to how they should take precautions regarding security,8221; says R. Sarkar, Senior Citizens8217; Morning Club, Chittaranjan Park. B. N. Swaroop, a resident of Vasant Vihar says, 8220;It8217;s sad that no separate welfare association is made for the elders in our area and this is a major reason why our problems fail to be highlighted. Though police stations arrange beat constables to visit the older residents after every 10 -15 days, it8217;s not enough. They must take additional steps to provide security to older citizens.8221; Police protection must ensure that personnel are on constant duty and can come to the help of senior citizens whenever required.

The police, however, blame callous citizens for the increasing crime. Says S. K. Yadav, DCP South: 8220;Ninety per cent of criminal incidents reveal that entries are usually very friendly and never forced. It8217;s unfair to blame the police every time.8221; However, Yadav is enthusiastic about the new plans which are to be started soon for the benefit of the senior citizens. 8220;We8217;re planning to install memorised telephones to make it easier for the senior citizens to get in touch with s whenever they need our help. At the same time, we want to install call-bells in such a way that neighbours can be alerted if something goes wrong. There are lots of plans for the benefit of elders but these can be implemented only if we receive co-operation,8221; he says.

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8220;Senior citizens should get verification of servants in the local police station and always be alert, they must be careful while answering door bells. These are some precautions which must be adhered to by the senior residents of any locality,8221; adds M.D. Meena, SHO, Police Station, Greater Kailash-I. 8220;Very often the faults lie in the senior citizens themselves,8221; says R. S. Rana, President, Senior Citizens8217; Welfare Association, Vasant Kunj. 8220;It8217;s a fact that in most cases we are dependent on people to look after us but at the same time, we tend to impose ourselves and refuse to co-operate with others. Many times, incidents take place owing to annoyance caused on the spur of the moment. For anything to change, we should change our attitude first,8221; he asserts.

The biggest problem, of course, is the paucity of preventive measures for the security and protection of the elderly. 8220;We wake up only when we hear of some elderly person being murdered or assaulted. The bitter truth is no one bothers to talk about emotional assault faced by elders,8221; says Himanshu Rath, Founder, Agewell Foundation, an NGO working for the benefit of older people. 8220;Security of old people is more of a social problem than a police problem. We8217;ve lost all respect for elders,8221; laments Rath.

Only concerted action from the community and the police can help reduce the spiralling rate of crime against aged people.