Shelter home case: DCW asks CM about wellbeing of girls

Delhi Commission for Women chairperson Swati Maliwal on Saturday wrote to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, asking him of the steps being taken by his government to ensure the wellbeing of the girls who were allegedly sexually assaulted at a shelter home in Muzaffarpur.

She asked if the girls were being sent to school or if they are being given counselling. She also asked Kumar to ensure that the girls are not pressured into changing their statements.

In Muzaffarpur, a case of alleged sexual assault of 34 minor girls living in a shelter home came to light. Medical examinations confirmed that 34 out of the 42 shelter home inmates were sexually exploited, police have said.

The owner of the shelter home, run by NGO 'Seva Sankalp Evam Vikas Samiti', Brajesh Thakur, is the main accused in the case.

The issue was first highlighted in an audit report submitted by the Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS), Mumbai, to Bihar's Social Welfare Department in April.

An FIR in the matter was registered on May 31 against 11 persons. Ten out of them, including Thakur, were arrested on June 3. One was absconding.

Maliwal asked Kumar about the fate of the girls who were allegedly sexually assaulted and steps taken by his government to ensure the wellbeing of the 34 girls.

Speaking for this first time since the scandal broke, chief minister Kumar yesterday said he has asked the chief secretary to discuss with departments concerned and develop an institutional mechanism to prevent such incidents from happening again.

"This is essential since the society is inhabited by all kinds of people and they may indulge in perverse acts at the slightest opportunity," he said.