Odisha shelter home head arrested over allegations of sexual abuse of minor

The head of a Kalahandi-based children’s shelter home was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting an HIV positive girl child, the police said on Monday.

Satya Kumar Nanda, inspector at Bhawanipatna town police station, said the suspect, Saroj Das, was arrested under section 376 [sexual assault] of the Indian Penal Code as well other sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012.

Two days ago, the mother of the nine-year-old victim had lodged a complaint with Child Welfare Committee (CWC) in neighbouring Bolangir district alleging that Das had sexually assaulted her daughter and other minor girls staying in the shelter home, meant for orphaned and abandoned children afflicted with HIV.

She alleged the Das had committed the crime with the help of a few women employees of the shelter home.

Though the girl from Bolangir had been living in the shelter home since August 2016, her mother took her back home on March 25, saying she was capable of maintaining her daughter. The girl’s father died a few years ago. Later, she complained about the sexual abuse by Das.

“We had some proof that Saroj Das has sexually abused the minor girl,” said CWC chairperson Jageswar Mohanty. The remaining seven girls in the shelter home would be transferred to another shelter, Mohanty added.

First Published: Jul 23, 2019 00:09 IST