Cop held for destroying evidence
Ranga was heading probe into abuse at shelter home
A Haryana Police officer heading the probe into the sexual exploitation and mental torture of inmates at the Apna Ghar shelter home was arrested for destruction of evidence, police said on Friday.
Sub-inspector Bhim Singh Ranga, who retired last month, was arrested by a special investigation team (SIT) of Haryana Police, said additional director general of police (law and order) and SIT chief M S Mann.
The special team was constituted by director general of police Ranjiv Singh Dalal to probe the involvement of certain police officials from Rohtak district in the illegal activities at the shelter home.
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights raided Apna Ghar on May 9. Ranga was made investigating officer of the case.
Over 100 inmates, including children, girls and women, were rescued from the home after a raid.
So far, seven people have been arrested, including the shelter home in-charge Jaswanti, her daughter Sushma, son-in-law Jai Bhagwan and four others.
Jaswanti Devi, in-charge of Apna Ghar, was given the Indira Gandhi Nari Shakti Award earlier this year for her “commendable work”. Her NGO was getting hefty grants from state agencies for its ‘work’.
The accused have been booked for rape, molestation, wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation and immoral trafficking under the Indian Penal Code.
The Apna Ghar shelter home, which was being run by an NGO Bharat Vikas Sangh for several years, has been sealed by the state government.
In yet another incident this week, police booked the manager of a Rohtak-based Institute for Mentally Challenged for allegedly sodomising a 22-year-old youth.
