Officers failed to act against Deoria shelter despite govt order: UP CM

Deoria: The Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government has agreed that despite instructions from the state government in June 2017, officers in Deoria district did not act against a shelter home in Deoria town and it was only 10 days ago that a criminal case was filed against the woman who ran the shelter home. 

Police raided the Deoria shelter home on Sunday night and rescued 21 girls and three boys who alleged of sexual and physical abuse at the shelter home.

The UP government has also decided to recommend a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). At a late night press conference in Lucknow on Tuesday, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath admitted that the district administration in Deoria had to answer many questions.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also constituted a special investigation team (SIT) to ensure there is no tampering of evidence till the central agency takes over.

Adityanath held the previous governments responsible for the manner in which the NGO was being run, but also said the role of the local police will be probed.

“Seeing the sin and laxity of the previous governments, all those who were responsible, and in order to make things crystal clear we have decided that the entire incident will be handed over to the CBI,” he told reporters.

He also stated that the boys who were rescued from the Deoria shelter home would be shifted to other child protection homes.

The Deoria case surfaced on Sunday night when one of the girls escaped from the shelter home and complained to the police. The police found that 18 others were missing from Deoria.

One of the missing girl was recovered from an old age home in Gorakhpur on Tuesday evening, police said.

Five people who were involved in running the Gorakhpur old age home have been detained. Police said the girl from the Deoria shelter should not have been at the Gorakhpur home, as it is meant for the elderly.

Meanwhile, the superintendent of the Deoria shelter home Kanchanlata Tripathi, who was on the run, was arrested in Deoria, SP Rohan P Kanay said.

The CM said the NGO has been operating since 2009 “and the previous government had liberally given grants to this organization”.

He said the role of police will also be probed as an FIR was lodged on July 30 but no action was taken against the shelter. An additional director of police has been directed to probe the role of police.