Three more girls confirmed raped in tribal hostel

CHANDRAPUR: Three of the four tribal girls from the Rajura hostel who were sent for medical examination were found to have been sexually abused, said sources. The total number of sexually exploited minor girls now stands at five, even as the police are still recording statements of other girls who suffered bouts of unconsciousness while staying at the hostel attached to an English medium school in Rajura town in Chandrapur.
On Wednesday, the state government sent the joint secretary of tribal development department, Sunil Patil, to Chandrapur to take stock of the case. Patil visited the school and hostel where the crime took place with project officer of tribal department after meeting the collector.

Special inspector general of Nagpur range Mallikarjun Prasanna too visited Rajura and grilled the four arrested accused—superintendent, deputy superintendent, and two women caretakers of the hostel —for allegedly drugging the underaged tribal girls and sexually exploiting them.

The police summoned three private doctors who had treated the girls for bouts of unconsciousness and questioned them, as well as the medical store owner, who supplied medicines to the hostel authorities. Tribal organizations have alleged that the doctors were aware of the sexual exploitation of the girls, but kept mum.

Senior Congress leader and former MP Naresh Puglia accused the police of lackadaisical approach in the case and demanded a CBI inquiry in a letter sent to the governor. The tribal girls were admitted to hospital on April 6, and the police registered an offence only seven days later.