THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
Bhopal, Jan 6: From an illegally operated shelter home in Bhopal, at least 26 girls from various states, including Gujarat, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh, went missing.
The misconduct was discovered when Priyank Kanoongo, the chairman of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), paid an unexpected visit to the Aanchal Girls’ Hostel located in the Parwalia district on the outskirts of Bhopal. Kanungo discovered that although 68 girls’ entries were there in the shelter home’s register, 26 of them were missing.
The director of the shelter house, Anil Mathew, did not provide “satisfactory answers” when questioned about the missing girls. The police have registered an FIR in the matter.
The girls were from Rajasthan, Gujarat, Jharkhand and some of them were from Madhya Pradesh’s Sehore, Raisen, Chhindwara and Balaghat.
Was operating without licence, made girls to practice Christianity
The children’s home, which was also operating unlawfully, was discovered to have numerous anomalies, according to the FIR.
Kanoongo said in a tweet that the children’s home was being run without a license by a missionary who had rescued several kids from the streets. Furthermore, according to the NCPCR Chairman, the rescued individuals were forced to practice to Christianity while being held covertly in the children’s home.
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“Most of the girls aged between 6 and 18 are Hindus. After much difficulty, the police have registered an FIR,” Kanungo stated.
“Unfortunately, the officials of the Women and Child Development Department of Madhya Pradesh want to run the child helpline on contract from such NGOs, he further stated.
FIR states that meat and fish items were discovered in the kitchen, and the children’s home has not been closed down.
According to the FIR, the children’s home housed girls from various religious backgrounds, but officials stated that they were compelled to practice only one religion, specifically Christianity.
No CCTV
Significantly, there were no CCTV cameras installed in the children’s home. In violation of regulations, two male guards were present during the night shift, alongside two female security personnel, when it is mandatory to have exclusively female guards in a girls’ shelter home.
All the girls who disappeared were residing without the approval of the Child Welfare Committee. Nonetheless, the officials of the children’s home asserted that the children were rescued and subsequently brought before the Child Welfare Committee.
