DEORIA/LUCKNOW: A detailed note prepared by administration of Deoria had made a scathing assessment on involvement of police stations and cops in illegally handing over unattended kids, including girls, to shelter homes in September 2017, a year before alleged exploitation came to light in August this year.
TOI has accessed two notes written to Deoria SP by the
Deoria district magistrate. The note also sought a bar on police stations invariably sending boys and girls to shelter homes in violation of Juvenile Justice (
care and protection of children) Act, 2015. This included Ma Vindhyavasini shelter home, run by Girijia Tripathi, who is in police custody right now. The note did not name any police official directly but put the scanner on Government Railway Police (GRP) as well as
Railway Protection Force (RPF) and a few police stations. On August 5, 23 girls were rescued from Vindhyavasini when a girl managed to flee from there and made disclosures on plight of her inmates, while saying that they were taken in ‘black, white and red cars at night and sent back in the morning’.
Deoria DM transferred a day after raid
You are aware that the sole authority to decide upon the welfare, rehabilitation and upkeep of kids and minors lies only with the court of Child Welfare Committee situated on Kharjarwa Road in
Saket Nagar in Deoria. It has come to light on August 9 this year that police stations are however illegally sending kids to shelter homes," the note by then Deoria DM
Sujit Kumar. Kumar was transferred after a day after the incident came to light on August 5.
The note also categorically mentioned how the license and recognition for Tripathi's shelter home had been suspended following a CBI inquiry, that yet girls were lodged inside her home and that they must be shifted out immediately to faraway districts. It also said that if minor kids or girls are found in any police stations, then action must be taken against the errant cops for violating the juvenile act. While it is still not clear if the Deoria top cops or the UP home department acted upon the DM's note, the district probation officer Prabhat Kumar further told the police department to prepare a list of unattended girls between 10-18 years and send them to neighbouring district Ballia instead of de-recognised homes as Vindhyavasini in Deoria.
It also said that unattended boys aged between 10-18 be sent to Deoria recognised shelter home.
(Representative image)
