Patna: After facing heat over Muzaffarpur shelter home rapes, the Nitish Kumar government has suspended seven officials of a state child protection unit.
The state's Social Welfare Department suspended the officials on grounds that they did not act despite being informed over the ill treatment meted out to children at shelter homes. The officers, including assistant directors Devesh Kumar and Kumar Satyakam, were from Muzaffarpur, Munger, Araria, Madhubani, Bhagalpur and Bhojpur districts.
Interestingly, Devesh Kumar was the same official who filed an FIR at Muzaffarpur women police station on May 31 after the matter came to light following the audit report submitted by Tata Institute of Social Sciences. Thereafter, functionaries of the NGO Seva Sankalp Evam Vikas Samiti, which was running the government sponsored Balika Grih, were arrested.
Brajesh Thakur, who was chief patron of the tainted NGO, has been made main accused in this case and a chargesheet has already been filed against him and nine others.
Madhubani district social security unit in-charge Kumar Satyakam, who also had the additional charge of children protection unit, was suspended for "ignoring the TISS report".
"Even after the institute's report, your inspection details did not mention any irregularities and even after specific instructions were issued to all district officials in a meeting on May 26 in Patna," the letter states.
The CBI is currently investigating the case. The horror came to light when the Bihar Social Welfare Department filed an FIR based on a social audit of the shelter home conducted by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.
Breaking his silence, Bihar Chief Minister had expressed anguish over the scandal on Friday and assured that the perpetrators would not be spared. Speaking at the launch of 'Mukhyamantri Kanya Utthan Yojana', a scheme for welfare of girls, in Patna, Kumar said that the alleged abuse of girls "has left us with a sense of shame and guilt".
On the occasion, the chief minister also made several other announcements like increasing the amount under the 'Bicycle Yojna' from Rs 2500 to Rs 3000. The scheme, launched by Nitish Kumar government in 2006, providing bicycles to school going girls, has won laurels in the country and abroad.
Giving details of the scheme, Kumar had said on birth of a girl child her family would get Rs 2000. After preparation of her Aadhaar card, the family would get an additional amount of Rs 1000. If the family completes the whole range of immunisation within two years of a girl's birth, it will get a sum of Rs 2000.
Comments
0 comment