JOIN US94 kids rescued from NGO-run protection homes
Ninety-four minors, mostly girls, were rescued from child and women protection houses run by an NGO here and its operator arrested for alleged sexual exploitation of some of the inmates, police said onThursday.
As many as 94 children were rescued on Wednesday from child and women protection homes run by NGO Bharat Vikas Parishad at Sri Nagar locality, SP Vivek Sharma said.
“The NGO chief Jaswanti was arrested and her son-in-law Jai Bhagwan, who was absconding, was also nabbed later,” he said.
They were charged under various sections of IPC, including rape, and under provisions of the Child Protection Act. The inmates, most of whom were minor girls besides few boys, had been allegedly wrongfully confined by the NGO.
In addition, there were also few women inmates in the shelter homes, Sharma said. “The inmates were threatened if they reported the matter to police they would be killed,” he said, adding that detailed probe would reveal for how long this had been going on.
The NGO also runs consultation centres for family and matrimonial disputes and provides shelter to runaway couples. The matter came to light after three girls, who ran away from one of the protection houses of the NGO on May 7, narrated their ordeal to National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and complained about the NGO.
The NCPCR team conducted a raid at the houses last night following information that gross violation of Child and Women Welfare Act was being committed by the NGO staff.
Meanwhile, main opposition Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) slammed the Bhupinder Singh Hooda government for failing to protect innocent children from such a grave crime.
“The incident itself is shocking enough to send a chill down anyone’s spine. Moreover, it has occurred in Chief Minister’s home district (Rohtak). If the government cannot provide shelter to the destitute, the least it could have done is to see they do not fall victim to such heinous crime,” INLD Secretary General Ajay Singh Chautala said in Chandigarh.