Patna: Even as the Bihar DGP on Tuesday confirmed that medical examinations of 29 of the 42 inmates of a shelter home revealed that they were sexually exploited, reports of negligence emerged from similar facilities across the state.
The news of disappearance of two girls from a short stay home in Gopalganj last year has caught the attention of authorities after it came to light that no FIR was filed in the case.
The girls, who went missing on October 5 last year, stayed at a government-sponsored short stay home that was run by an NGO called IKARD (Institute of Khadi Agriculture and Rural Development) in Jadopur area. The management informed the police about the incident but no FIR was lodged in the case. Police too did not take any action.
Residents of the area, including the man who leased out the accommodation to the NGO, suspect that the inmates are forced to indulge in “illegal activities”.
Complaining about the mismanagement at the home, district president of Hindustan Awam Morcha (HAM) Pankaj Singh Rana said, “Outsiders can be seen visiting the accommodation at midnight. We had complained to the district administration but no action was taken.”
Landlord Amit Kumar Singh said, “Every now and then girls and staff members scream at each other. We have seen the staff go out with the inmates and return the next day. We sense some foul play.”
District programme manager Prem Prakash, who supervises welfare plans and social schemes, also said reports related to irregularities and lapses on part of the NGO were sent to officers concerned but no action was taken by the district administration. “We had issued show cause notices to NGO officials also,” he said.
He said the two girls, who belonged to Thane in Maharashtra and Deoria in UP, went missing last year but they had received no information of their whereabouts.
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