Horror Homes?

Millions of Indians out of 1.25 billion are either homeless or discarded by their own. Out of these there are some who considered to be lucky one when they  found themselves under a roof. These roof provided by the shelter homes which either run by state Governments or aided by the same. Let us go beyond those wall and find out how blessed these peoples are who are assumed to be safe inside those so-called shelter homes.

Apna Ghar, Rohtak, Haryana.

Apna Ghar's shocking stories emerged after 3 girls escaped in the first week of May from this shelter house to Delhi and gave their statement in front of the child welfare committee. In a surprise raid by the team  of the National Commission for Protection of Child Right (NCPCR) nearly 120 people including children, girls and women were rescued. The inmates were allegedly subjected to sexual abuse, physical and mental exploitation and used as bonded labour. The home is run by the NGO Bharat Vikas Sangh.

Some female inmates of the protection home had even alleged that the in-charge of the place, Jaswanti Devi, had forced some of the girls from the home into immoral activities.

They alleged that they used to be brutally assaulted by the in-charge to force them to go with outsiders, including influential people and even police officials. Some girls alleged that they were sexually exploited several times within and outside the protection home.

The toddlers, who narrated horrifying stories of extreme abuse including forced acts of oral sex, are among the 103 severely tormented young women and children rescued from the shelter home. "Sickening and shocking," is how National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) member Vinod Kumar Tikoo, 58, described what he saw when he raided the shelter home on May 9.

Jaswanti was arrested last month along with her son-in-law Jai Bhagwan by the Haryana Police.

Nari Niketan, Chandigarh.

Three girl inmates of a shelter home in Haryana's Karnal town have gone missing under mysterious circumstances. The girls belong to Nari Niketan shelter home.

Though none of the three girls have been rescued as yet, a special team had been constituted to rescue the three girls, he said.

A probe had also been ordered by the Karnal district administration to check out the circumstances under which the inmates had gone missing from the complex, which remains under security. The girls who have gone missing hail from Allahabad, Charki Dadri in Sirsa and Jhajjar.

The Nari Niketan, where some inmates of Rohtak's Apna Ghar shelter home have also been kept, houses girls including those rescued from flesh trade rackets. Meanwhile, police have registered a case in the Nari Niketan incident.

Revealing and disturbing details of sexual abuse, pornography, forcible abortion, beating and intoxication of dozens of inmates of shelter homes in Rohtak, a city in India’s northern state of Haryana, are heart-rending and need to be condemned in a strongest-possible manner.

Hoogly, West Bengal.

The shutting down of a rehabilitation centre in Hooghly district, where a destitute woman was suspectedly raped and murdered a fortnight ago, has come as a blessing in disguise for hapless inmates of the "horror home".

Now shifted to a shelter home at Narendrapur off Kolkata, the women say they have got a fresh lease of life.

"We too would have died there due to malnutrition or neglected healthcare. We are lucky to have escaped from there. Almost every month a woman use to die there," 25-year-old woman inmate alleged. Trafficked at the tender age of five, she was staying at the welfare home run by local NGO Dulal Smriti Samsad in a village, 60 km from here.

Following allegations of sexual exploitation and unnatural deaths, the home was closed down by the state government while CID officials are already investigating how many of the inmates had died in the last few months and why were they buried secretly. Skeleton and human bones have already been dug up from the banks of river Damodar.

The police has already arrested home secretary Udaychand Kumar and his aide Shyamal Ghosh, the prime accused in the case, which came to light after the mysterious death of 32-year-old Guriya was reported from the home premises early this month. Inmates have alleged that Ghosh used to molest and rape many of the inmates.

"He was given a free run inside the rooms. Two young mute girls were sexually harassed by him regularly. Those who opposed were beaten up," alleges 19-year-old girl.

"When asked for extra food or even for salt we were beaten up with a thick wooden stick," she says recalling how many inmates "died because of lack of medical attention and malnourishment".

There are dozens of shelter homes running in various states of India. They not only receive hefty grants from the respective governments but also get donations from people. This is the right time that working of all the shelter homes should be reviewed thoroughly mainly because reports of similar abuse of inmates, especially sex-exploitation of girls, have been increasing steadily. The courts in different states should take suo motto of media reports and order immediate scrutiny by constituting judicial panels.

!!!Safe Haven? or House of Death?!!!