Lucknow: Within days of ThePrint reporting on serious charges of torture, sexual harassment and bribery levelled by inmates against four staffers of a government-run juvenile home in western UP’s Saharanpur, it has emerged that at least three other women, all minors then, made similar allegations to district administration officials a few years ago.
In fact, their complaints form the basis of the FIR against the four staffers, whose services have been terminated since. The FIR does not include minors inmates whose recent video statement went viral on social media even as the complainants moved to the district Nari Niketan on attaining the age of 18.
Meanwhile, taking cognisance of ThePrint’s intimation of the letters of the home inmates, Saharanpur divisional commissioner Hrishikesh Bhaskar Yashod wrote to Saharanpur district magistrate Dinesh Chandra Friday to initiate fair legal proceedings under suitable rules and acts.
The FIR was filed against four staffers of the Rajsi Development and Research Sansthan, the non government organisation which has been running the juvenile home for the past 15 years, on 20 June. These staffers were manager Vedpal Singh alias Vedpal Mongra, superintendent Pinki, house-keeping staff Ravi, and cook Murti Devi.
The girls first shared their ordeal with Sub-divisional Magistrate (SDM) Krati Raj during an inspection on 20 May, as reported by ThePrint.
DM Chandra then formed a three-member committee — comprising SDM Raj, SDM (Sadar) Kinshuk Srivastava, and sub-inspector Sunita Malan from the women’s police station in the district — which visited the shelter over 30 and 31 May, and submitted a detailed report.
According to the FIR, which ThePrint has accessed, in their report submitted 31 May, the officials noted that manager Mongra had allegedly indulged in “objectionable” and “condemnable” behaviour with the minor girls.
It said three of the girls levelled these allegations while accusing superintendent Pinki of having beaten them “with excessive cruelty even over small issues”.
An official told ThePrint that the three girls named in the FIR do not reside in the juvenile home anymore.
“The girls, on the basis of whose complaint the FIR has been lodged, don’t stay in the shelter home any more. They stay in the Nari Niketan which houses adult women. The video statement of the minor girls which went viral on social media in which they accused manager Vedpal of indulging in obscene acts and superintendent Pinki of torturing them has not been made a part of the FIR,” the official said.
Speaking to ThePrint, SHO Women’s police station Monika Chauhan, who is a part of the investigation team, confirmed that the names in the FIR pertain to adult females who were previously staying in the juvenile home.
“Young women had also levelled similar allegations. The minor girls’ complaints have not been mentioned in the FIR,” she said.
Asked why that wasn’t done, she said that was so because “most of them denied the charges (of sexual harassment) during recording of statement.”
Since she didn’t comment on the viral video, ThePrint reached her via calls and messages again Saturday but received no response. This report will be updated if and when a response is received.
However, sources told ThePrint that the girls had stood by their statements as narrated in the video.
District probation officer (DPO) Abhishek Pandey told ThePrint “The three older girls had levelled similar allegations as the minors…Both the investigations will go on simultaneously. However, we don’t talk to the police about it as the matter is under investigation.”
When asked why the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act was not invoked in the case as it pertained to minors, he said it was the domain of the Saharanpur police.
WCD dept seeks report
Meanwhile, the department of women and child development welfare (WCD), Lucknow, has sought a report in the matter from the Saharanpur district administration. Speaking to ThePrint, DPO Pandey said they have sent the details to the WCD directorate.
Speaking to ThePrint, director, WCD department of UP government, Sarneet Broca said: “I have issued requisite instructions and recommended action against some officials.”
However, taking cognisance of an email intimation by ThePrint on the two letters — one sent to SDM Krati Raj which went viral and was reported by the media, and another undated one with similar content addressed to the DM whose copy is with ThePrint — since they were purportedly written by minors, divisional commissioner Yashod has directed the DM to “initiate legal proceedings under suitable rules and sections” taking cognisance of the email.
In a letter to the DM Friday, Yashod said, “Take cognisance of the email which has been issued along with the letters mentioning about serious allegations levelled by inmates of the juvenile home (girls) against its manager and superintendent of the juvenile home (girls) in connection with which an FIR has been lodged against the accused under IPC sections 323, 504,506 and prevention of corruption act…conduct fair and legal proceedings under suitable rules and sections.”
A copy of the letter has been marked to ThePrint correspondent.
ThePrint had reported Thursday how soon after SDM Raj’s inspection, one of the 45 inmates at the shelter home wrote to her, detailing the routine harassment she was allegedly undergoing at the hands of Vedpal.
(Edited by Smriti Sinha)
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