Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said he was saddened by the incident. (Express Photo/Oinam Anand/File)
A day after the director of a private hostel in Bhopal was arrested for allegedly raping a speech and hearing impaired girl and molesting two others, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday said the accused will be brought to justice by filing chargesheet at the earliest.
“I am saddened by the incident,” the CM said, while ordering monthly inspection of government, private and aided shelter homes where girls live. At present, inspection is carried out at government aided shelter homes once in two months. Rules will be framed for private hostels for girls, the CM announced after addressing a top-level meeting at his official residence on Friday morning.
On Thursday, the Bhopal police arrested a man who runs private hostels for girls in the city. A 20-year-old tribal girl accused him of rape while two sisters accused him of molesting them. The complaints were filed after the victims travelled to Indore and conveyed their ordeal through a sign language expert.
The victim alleged that the accused used to threaten her not to reveal anything to her parents or he would kill her. She said he raped her between October 2017 and August 4, 2018, and that he did not let her return home saying her parents want her to live in Bhopal. Her brother came to Bhopal on August 5 and took her back.
Two other girls lodged a complaint of molestation against the same accused on Thursday.
Congress spokesperson Shobha Oza alleged that the hostels were aided by the state government’s social justice department and demanded a detailed probe and immediate social audit of shelter homes and hostels. She also accused the ruling BJP of shielding criminals. Calling the allegation baseless, Minister of State for Cooperation Vishwas Sarang said the Congress was levelling baseless allegations out of frustration.
Meanwhile, PCC chief Kamal Nath said contrary to claims made by the chief minister during his Jan Ashirwad Yatra, women were not even safe in shelter homes in MP. “Show me five places in the state where women feel safe,” the Congress leader dared the CM while asking him to inspect all shelter homes and provide protection to women.