Their labourer fathers death murdered on Tuesday over alleged theft of utensils has left two girls orphaned with no one to support them. They have now been sent to Snehalaya,a shelter home run by the Chandigarh Administration; their mother had left the family more than a year ago. Munshi Ram was murdered by another labourer Amresh Singh on Tuesday morning with Singh alleging that Ram had stolen his utensils. His death has forced the Chandigarh Police to send his daughters Reshma (7) and Ruksar (9) to Snehalaya. According to a neighbour,the girls mother had abandoned her family after growing tired of Rams alcohol addiction. Ram would frequently beat his wife after coming home drunk, said Hemraj Sharma,a neighbour. Due to drinking problems,Ram even sold his wifes jewellery and a rickshaw to buy liquor, he added. Residents told Chandigarh Newsline that the mother used to work as a maid in one of the bungalows at NAC but left with a vegetable seller. To add to the girls woes,residents say that the killed labourers eldest daughter,Ruksar,had witnessed the murder. When Singh murdered Ram,we heard a scream from Ruksar. We saw Singh running towards an abandoned land behind a partially constructed building of a school in Pocket 6,Mani Majra. We ran behind Singh and nabbed him. In the meanwhile,Ruksar rushed to the Housing Board lighting point and called a police official on duty at the beat box, neighbour Sharma said. Manimajra police officials,meanwhile,turned to Rams parents to locate the girls mother but according to the police,Rams parents said that they had disowned him and had no knowledge of even where he was living. The two girls who attended their fathers cremation on Wednesday and were immediately shifted to Snehalaya after the the completion of the ceremony. According to Sharma,the girls used to attend school till their mother was living with them. Snehalaya,would now be responsible for the education of the girls. We have a school in the premises of Snehalaya up to grade 8. After then,we get the children admitted in nearby schools, said Rajesh Jogpal,Director,Department of Social Welfare. When the girls came to Snehalaya,they were mentally in bad condition,but were physically fit. Their medical examination was conducted, he added.
