Mehrauli child murder highlights safety crisis for Dwarka pavement dwellers
The abduction, rape, and murder of an 11-year-old girl from a pavement at CDR Chowk in Mehrauli, South Delhi, on June 22 has exposed the severe vulnerability and unsafe living conditions of pavement dwellers across the capital, including families sleeping under the Dwarka flyover. The tragedy has highlighted the lack of safe housing, toilets, and streetlights for the city's homeless population.
Following the incident, Delhi Police temporarily cleared pavement dwellers from the CDR Chowk area. However, many have already started returning due to a lack of overcrowded shelters and affordable housing. Chandprakash, a 59-year-old rag-picker from Uttar Pradesh who was among those removed, returned to his spot near CDR Chowk on Saturday. He stated that while he can manage shifting alone, families with children cannot keep moving constantly, relying on night shelters only in winter and plastic sheets during rain.
The safety fears are shared by homeless families in nearby localities. Near the Chhattarpur metro station, approximately 20 families live in makeshift huts without streetlights. Local resident Mahaveer Singh explained that men usually sleep outside to guard their families.
To protect themselves, families sleeping near the IIT Delhi flyover cluster closely together, placing children in the middle and adults on the outer edges. Bharti, a flower seller at the site, said that adults must sleep in shifts to stay alert throughout the night.
In addition to safety threats, pavement dwellers face a severe lack of basic amenities. Mausami, an 11-year-old living on the streets, noted the absence of toilets, explaining that they must wait until morning or use the roadside. Another pavement dweller, 40-year-old Shankar, said he has lived on the streets since birth after his parents failed to find stable work in Delhi.
At the Dwarka flyover, several families continue to sleep on the pavements with their infants despite the risks. Madan, a pavement dweller fanning his eight-month-old son under the flyover, expressed the desperation of their situation, asking where else they could go to escape the heat.
