Jamshedpur shelter home case: 2 more girls, who went missing after shifting, recovered
Two more girl inmates, who recently went missing from a Patamda-based shelter home in the district, were recovered safely on Friday from Telco-based Mother Teresa Welfare Trust (MTWT) children’s home, officials said
Two more girl inmates, who recently went missing from a Patamda-based shelter home in the district, were recovered safely on Friday from Telco-based Mother Teresa Welfare Trust (MTWT) children’s home, officials said.
Meanwhile, two other MTWT girl inmates, who went missing on June 11 during shifting to Bal Kalyan Ashram (BKA) children’s home in Patamda, were still untraceable.
“We have safely recovered the two girls from MTWT shelter home based on a tip-off Friday morning. They had run away from BKA on Thursday morning on the pretext of going to the washroom. They have been brought back to BKA. We are writing to higher authorities to shift these children to a safer place near the city because the children don’t want to stay at BKA, which is located in a forest,” Ashhok Ram, Patamda police station officer in-charge (OC), said.
The 15 and 18-year-old girls were among the 38 children shifted to BKA from MTWT shelter home late on June 11 evening, days after serious allegations of sexual abuse, physical and mental harassment were levelled by two minor girls, who fled MTWT on June 5, against the home’s director and four other persons. An FIR was also lodged in this regard against MTWT director Harpal Singh Thapar, his wife and former child welfare committee (CWC) chairperson Pushpa Rani Tirkey, warden Geeta Kaur, her son Aditya Singh and staff Tony David on June 6 under sections of Pocso Act and IPC. Four of the accused, including the Thapar couple, have since been held, while David is absconding.
According to officials, the BKA children’s home doesn’t have a boundary wall and is located in a secluded place in a forest. Two women constables, along with an ASI and four armed constables, were deputed there after the 38 MTWT inmates were shifted there, officials said.
Meanwhile, four of the arrested accused in the MTWT shelter home sexual abuse case filed a regular bail application in the special Pocso Court of additional district and sessions judge-5 in Jamshedpur. The bail plea is likely to be heard on Monday, their lawyer Vimal Pandey said.
Earlier, the arrested accused filed an anticipatory bail, but now they have filed for a regular bail since they were arrested on Tuesday. “Three of the four arrested accused are not facing sexual exploitation and abuse charges. They have been only charged with torture and scolding,” said Pandey.
Girl spotted in MTWT office, room
Meanwhile, a district team of circle office staff found that MTWT’s office and another of its allegedly illegal constructed room open after photos and video surfaced on social media platform Twitter.
The tweet, posted by one Amit Shrama and tagging East Singhbhum DC Suraj Kumar, showed an adolescent girl at the MTWT’s office and a room while some persons were cleaning the premises on Thursday.
