Probe into allegations of sexual abuse of minor inmates and other women of a shelter home in Haryana will now be conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Punjab and Haryana High Court here was informed on Friday.
During the resumed hearing in the case filed by a rights activist and advocate Utsav Singh Bains, the division bench of the High Court headed by Justice N K Sanghi directed subjecting all the 101 inmates of Apna Ghar, the shelter home in Haryana’s Rohtak district, to medical examination. The test would be conducted by a medical board comprising medical specialists of Post Graduate Institute (PGI), Rohtak.
The allegations were that the girls were sexually abused, paraded naked and videographed and beaten, besides being made to work in the fields. Allegations of forced abortions too have surfaced. The shelter home’s caretaker, Jaswanti Devi, certain policemen and other persons are allegedly involved in the scandal. The court issued the order after the four members of a probe panel, appointed by the High Court to look into the sexual abuse allegations, recommended medical examination of the inmates after interacting with them.
The counsels representing the Haryana government apprised the Punjab and HHC about the decision for CBI probe. The exploitation came to light after three girls fled the home and reached New Delhi. They complained to the national commission for protection of child rights about the abuse. NCPCR team raided the shelter home in May and confirmed the sexual exploitation of inmates at the hands of its caretaker.