Why no action against cops in Deoria abuse case: HC to govt

Tribune News Service

Lucknow, August 13

Taking a stern view of the Uttar Pradesh Government’s working in the sexual abuse case of Deoria shelter home, the Allahabad High Court on Monday reiterated why no action had been taken against the police till now.

Hearing a suo motu case as well as a PIL in the Deoria Vindhyavasini Shelter Home case, the Division Bench of Chief Justice DB Bhonsle and Justice Yashwant Verma on Monday expressed dissatisfaction at the SIT interim report presented before it by the ADG Gorakhpur.

The SIT report claims the young women rescued from the shelter house had denied that they were taken out in cars at night and returned to the shelter home the next morning.

According to counsel for the petitioner KK Roy, Chief Justice Bhonsle observed that he knew how statements were taken by the people by the police under pressure.

The court wanted to know why action had not been initiated against the police who, knowing well that the shelter home’s licence had been revoked and the government had issued orders to send its inmates elsewhere, continued sending girls to that shelter home running illegally.

The court expressed displeasure when ADG Gorakhpur informed the court that the police had spoken to neighbours and employees of the shelter home but had not recorded their statements.

The court wanted to know where the rescued girls had been kept and advised the Additional Advocate General to identify a soundly run shelter home to keep the young women. The matter of the sexual abuse in the Deoria came to light when a young inmate escaped and approached the police on the night of August 5 following which the Deoria police raided the shelter home, rescued 24 girls, sealed it, and arrested its manager, her husband and two daughters.