9 unidentified bodies on Delhi streets every day: Govt data

An average nine unidentified bodies, largely of drug addicts and beggars, are recovered from the streets of the national capital every day. According to a recent data of the National Crime Records Bureau, out of a total 37,838 unidentified bodies found across the country during the year 2012, 3,359 were found in Delhi, an average of nine bodies per day.

Other big states that have witnessed a large number of such incidents include Maharashtra, which tops the list with 5,906 unidentified bodies, Tamil Nadu with 5,319 and Uttar Pradesh with 3,996 bodies in the year 2012.

The Delhi police claims most of these people died a natural death. "These are largely labourers who cannot afford rented accommodations and die to harsh weather conditions. Some of them are drug addicts too," said a Delhi Police official.

"Generally, these bodies are found along railway lines and near the ISBT area, as migrants, mainly from the labour class, reside in these areas in large numbers. These people mainly work as beggars, balloon sellers, rickshaw pullers, street vendors who sleep on pavements and near flyovers or railway tracks, and die in road accidents. They generally do not have any relatives with them to take care or cremate them," he said.

Asked about the figures, Minister of Social Welfare, Delhi, Kiran Walia said a number of those found dead on Delhi's streets are drug addicts.

"Some of these people come here with incurable diseases which are detected at a later stage. If they are provided with good medical facilities in their native towns, the problem can be solved to a great extent. Another group is that of the drug addicts who do not want to live under anyone's watch," she told PTI.