Odisha: Shelter home sealed after minor inmates accuse officials of sex harassment

Dhenkanal (Odisha): The Dhenkanal Police has sealed a shelter home run by a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), in view of the sexual harassment allegations levelled by inmates.

Some minor inmates of the shelter home accused the officials of sexual harassment, following which district Child Welfare Committee (CWC) officers and Child Protection Officer (CPO) raided the shelter home and later filed a complaint at Sadar Police station, here.

Dhenkanal's Sadar Police arrested the Project Director, Assistant Director and Managing Director in of the shelter home connection with the case.

"Three teams have been formed to probe the matter, inmates are also being questioned. A case has been registered under various sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. There is no means of religious conversion, here are all children are from a different religion," said Santosh Nayak, Dhenkanal Superintendent of Police.

Meanwhile, the inmates of the shelter home have been shifted to a nearby childcare centre.

A fact-finding team of Odisha Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led by the president of the Mahila Morcha, Prabhati Parida also visited the shelter home to meet inmates and locals. However, concerned the shelter home was sealed and the inmates were shifted to some other place before their arrival.

"This is shocking that concerned authorities closed the shelter home and shifted the inmates to somewhere undisclosed place in a hasty manner to hide the truth. We condemn the move of the administration and we demand that the administration should disclose the location and fair inquiry should take place" said BJP leader Lekhasri Samantsinghar.