Two girls molested in orphanage

AHMEDABAD: Even as controversy continues to rage over sexual assault cases in shelter homes in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, two girls from an orphanage in Juhapura, have accused one of the office-bearers of sexual assault. Three other girls have also accused the orphanage’s security guard of beating them for not offering prayers. All the complainants are minors.
City police on Friday lodged a complaint against Arshad Siddiqi, office-bearer of the orphanage, which is run by a private trust and is government aided, for molestation and under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The security guard, Shoeb Siddiqui, was booked for physically assaulting the girls.

Ishwar Parmar, social justice and empowerment minister, said that Arshad Siddiqui allegedly molested the two girls while Shoeb allegedly forced them to offer prayers. “The girls complained that they were also made to clean the orphanage. If they ever refused, they were beaten by the security guard,” said Parmar.

The minister said that strict legal action has been ordered. The accused office-bearer of the orphanage is currently abroad on a pilgrimage and could not be reached for comment. Ahmedabad collector Vikrant Pandey said the incident came to light during a special drive to check shelter homes and orphanages in the wake of the outrageous happenings at shelter homes in UP and Bihar.

“Eighteen girls were living in the orphanage of whom five girls complained at the special security check,” said Pandey.

Palak Jadeja, district child protection unit head, said, “After finding irregularities, I filed the complaint with Mahila (West) police station for physical assault on three girls while two other girls pressed molestation charges.”

Sources said that a staffer had complained about the alleged torture, following which the action was taken. The two girls who have alleged molestation, were sent to the Odhav shelter home.

Mahila police officers including DCP Panna Momaya remained tight-lipped. Jagruti Pandya, chairperson of Gujarat State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, said she has demanded a report on the incident.

‘Never entertained locals’

Ahmedabad: Residents of the area near the orphanage in Juhapura said the office-bearers of the shelter home were always indifferent towards locals who wanted to help the orphan girls. An activist from the area, Muzahid Nafees, said he tried to approach the trustees and other office-bearers of the orphanage, but they did not respond. “I work for child rights protection but when I approached the orphanage, I was not even given contact numbers or a chance to meet the office-bearers,” said Nafees. A local said the girls were always confined to the orphanage, which was being run in a bungalow, and were not allowed to talk to anybody.

Govt orders audit of all shelter homes, children’s homes After shocking complaints of rapes surfacing from government-run shelter homes in Bihar and UP outraged the country, Gujarat government has ordered all district collectors to audit destitute homes, children homes, and senior citizen homes run by both government and non-government institutions and asked them to report any irregularities.