Discrepancies, oversights led to escapes at children’s home

Aparna Banerji
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, March 9

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The stoic silence of the district administration and the Social Security Department on repeated complaints and security concerns raised about the children’s home at the Gandhi Vanita Ashram here have led to the recent spurt in cases of escapes of minor.

A report submitted by the District Child Welfare Committee (CWC) to the District Programme Officer has stated that it had called for security upgrade at the ashram since August last year (The Tribune has a copy of the report). But despite repeated warnings, the ashram authorities or the district administration failed to take steps in this regard. The CWC’s role has been reduced to a puppet in the administration wherein its recommendations are also not being heeded and also its not informed about serious incidents at the ashram.

While the ashram has recently courted a controversy after two minors escaped on March 4 and 6, respectively, from its premises, happenings are mired in suspicion and questions being raised both by relatives of the victims as well as the CWC itself. While minors began running away since September last year, during the tenure of the now-suspended Children’s Home for Girls superintendent Manjit Kaur, at least five escapes and a suicide occurred at the ashram.

While minors began running away as early as September 2018 and a suicide occurred during mid-February under the same superintendent, when the staff was away to her son’s wedding, it took months for the Social Security Department to act against her. A report prepared by a committee constituted by the DC after a Patiala minor’s escape (in September, October and December) had also claimed the gross negligence of the superintendent. But it was only after the Malot-based 16-year-old girls’ escape on March 4 that the orders of her suspension came.

CWC warnings unheeded

The CWC in a letter submitted to the DPO on March 8 says the ashram’s security was not put in place despite repeated recommendations from them and committee officials were not allowed to go inside by the staff on March 6.

While the CWC is the nodal body for the care and protection of children in the district, their lack of knowledge and disallowance of entry into the ashram after a runaway case clearly hints at serious lapses and lack of coordination in the child protection mechanism of the district.

The working CWC of the district, officiating since August last year, had pointed out various discrepancies at the ashram. After a visit on August 10, 2018, the CWC had asked for iron or barbed wire fencing at the front and rear verandahs of the ashram for the security of inmates and expansion of the ashram, which they termed was inadequate as per the number of inmates and removal of items such as scrap and iron fans from the ashram store and putting it up for operational use. All three recommendations are yet to be heeded. After a visit on November 3, the CWC sought a board at the main entrance disallowing any outsiders from coming to the ashram (this too remains unaddressed). After its December 14, 2018, inspection, the CWC sought regular counselling of girls and their rehabilitation.

The CWC members have claimed during their recent visit to the ashram on March 6, they were not even informed that a girl had escaped and the members also not allowed to enter the premises.

Members of the CWC called the superintendent (Reena Uppal) who failed answer the call. They wrote to the District Programme Officer regarding lack of coordination.

Kin accuse staff of connivance

Radheshyam, uncle of the Malot runaway (who was traced from Jalalabad a day after), said: “Our daughter called us twice from the ashram and was eager to come home. How she got a phone. After the news of her disappearance spread, she was brought back a day later from Jalalabad. If she had run away on her own, how did the ashram authorities come to know where she was.” The relatives also alleged that on February 28 several men and women came to meet the girl. One of the man claimed to be her uncle (chacha). However, Radheshyam said, it was not him, then how did the ashram allow strangers without checking their credentials.

Previous runaway incidents

On September 16, 2018, a 14-year-old Patiala girl, who had also gone missing from the ashram and brought back on October 5 by the police – went missing again. FIRs regarding her being missing was lodged on October 6, 2018, and a DDR was lodged again on December 14 after she ran away yet again. While on 22 February, Bhupinder Kaur, the housekeeper and outsource worker at the home, was dismissed by the Additional Director, Social Security, for gross negligence, an attendant was also transferred. However, superintendent Manjit Kaur’s suspension letter was only issued after the Malot minor ran away on March 4. Hence, it took another suicide and an escape for the department to suspend her.

In January 2019, a complaint was made to the DC regarding outsiders coming into the ashram. A video regarding the same was also submitted to the authorities. Following this, security at the ashram begun to be updated in January and by February, eight CCTV cameras were installed at the ashram – at the Children’s Home and Children’s Home for Girls. However, despite eight security cameras, not a single camera has been able to capture the Amritsar minor who escaped from the ashram on March 6.

Amritsar girl yet to be traced

While the Department of Social security had lodged an FIR against officiating superintendent Reena Uppal, a chowkidar and ‘house mother’, SHO of the police station No. 2 Kulbir Singh said: “We have sent teams to Amritsar but the girl has not been traced yet.”

Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, Commissioner of Police, who has been handed over the task to probe the recent cases of escapes from the ashram, said: “The previous security lapses are a matter vested with the management but the recent case of the girl’s escape has been handed over to a senior woman IPS officer. We are making all efforts to trace the child and she will hopefully be traced soon.”