UP official accused of seeking girls from shelter home

A senior district official, who was supposed to inspect a shelter home in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad town, was accused of "demanding" girls in exchange of a favourable report.

The manager of the shelter home lodged a complaint with the police accusing the district official of passing lewd remarks on the inmates and also demanding a girl be sent with him for a night.

"The official had come to the shelter home for inspection... instead of checking the records, he asked me to send one of the girls with him... he also passed lewd remarks on the girls while talking to them," the lady manager alleged.

"He offered to pay me handsomely if his demand was met," she said.

The manager also claimed that the official threatened her with dire consequences if his demand was not fulfilled.

A complaint was lodged with the police in this regard, sources said adding that a senior police officer had been entrusted with the task of conducting an investigation into the matter and submit a report within two-three days.

The incident comes close on the heels of allegations of abuse at a women's shelter home in state's Deoria town. As many as 26 women were reported to be "missing" from two shelter homes in Uttar Pradesh's Pratapgarh district, about 200 km from here.

The state government has ordered a thorough checking of all shelter homes in the state following the Deoria incident.