Following the hue and cry over the alleged sexual harassment of inmates in a shelter home in Dhenkanal district, the Central Government on Saturday ordered a probe into the allegation.
Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi asked the district administration and the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) to inspect all such shelter homes in Odisha.
In a letter to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Gandhi stated, “I have asked Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India, to get an inquiry conducted in the case.”
Stating that she was “profusely aggrieved”, Gandhi said, “It is shocking that such horrors were being carried out in a location which is situated only 10 km from the Dhenkanal district Collectorate and SP office.”
She further stated, wondering, “How ‘Good News India’ was running these homes for past two years without registration under Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015”.
“Odisha Women and Child Development Minister and district Child Protection Officer have confirmed that the licence for this shelter home had expired last month. This is a gross violation of the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) and highlights lack of oversight by the State Government authorities on statutory compliance for running a shelter home,” she further wrote in her letter.
Gandhi stated she got horrified to learn that the NGO in question is currently operating more than 25 shelter homes in Odisha.