Indore: In Indore – India’s “cleanest city” for four consecutive years, as decided by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs – a team of municipal workers have been caught on video trying to dump elderly homeless people, presumably gathered from within the city, by the side of a highway on the city’s outskirts.
They were forced to bring them back after opposition from villagers in the Kshipra area, who protested the government’s apparent move to leave them on the highway amid a freezing winter.
Videos of this incident – possibly shot by locals – have been widely shared online and show the municipal team trying to unload homeless people off a truck parked by the side of the highway.
The disturbing visual shows a frail old woman, wrapped in filthy rags and barely able to sit upright, being supported by a man as the villagers argue with the municipal workers.
Abhay Rajangaonkar, the Indore Municipal Corporation’s Additional Commissioner, has claimed the municipal employees were actually taking the homeless people to a night shelter.
He denied allegations they had been dropped on the outskirts of the city.
The opposition Congress has pounced on this shocking incident, taking the opportunity for a swipe at the ruling BJP and the party’s phasing out of veteran leaders like LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi.
“In the name of cleanliness the officials of the Indore Municipal Corporation left the elderly in the cold. Now what should the poor officials do… they are working according to the ideology of the BJP? As the BJP left many elderly leaders… like Advaniji, Joshiji, Yashwant Sinha,” Congress spokesperson Narendra Saluja said.
