16-year-old flees children's home; ashram, CWC officials trade barbs

Aparna Banerji

Advertisement

Jalandhar, March 6

A 16-year-old girl from the Children’s Home for Girls at the Gandhi Vanita Ashram in Jalandhar, escaped this afternoon from the premises under mysterious circumstances. As per police sources and the ashram authorities, the girl escaped while she had gone to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) office, allegedly to serve water to its members. The CWC vehemently denied these allegations as baseless.

Was called to serve water

The 16-year-old girl who has escaped was at the CWC office on the ashram premises. She had been called there to serve water. — Harvinder Kaur, CDPO, Jalandhar

Charge baseless

It’s a baseless charge that the girl was at the CWC office. Girls come to our office only when there is a hearing or a formal case has to be taken up. — JK Gulati, CWC, Jalandhar, Chairman

The police visited the ashram premises after being informed, but the ashram authorities are yet to submit a formal complaint on the issue to trace the missing girl.

CDPO, Jalandhar, Harvinder Kaur, who has additional charge of two homes — the Children’s Home for Girls (from where the girl has gone missing) and the Children Home, Jalandhar, as Superintendent, visits the ashram on Tuesday and Thursday. The incident, thus, took place when she was not at the home. However, she rushed to the spot after she received the information. The 16-year-old girl was referred to the Children’s Home for Girls on February 25 from the Patiala CWC. As per sources, she had run away from home and the orders for her release back to her home were due to be released today. However, she fled the ashram premises in the afternoon.

Police Station Number 2 SHO Gurpreet Singh said: “We visited the ashram and searched for the girl but couldn’t find her. However, we have not received any written complaint from the ashram or CWC authorities. An FIR can be lodged or other proceedings started, only after a written complaint is submitted. The girl fled from the CWC office on the premises of the ashram.”

Harvinder Kaur, too, said: “The girl was at the CWC office and had been called there, when she fled. She was called to serve water there.”

CWC, Jalandhar, Chairman, JK Gulati said: “It’s a falsehood that the girl had come to our office. I, along with other members of the CWC, was at the office at that time. We were discussing a case when we received the information that a girl had escaped. Girls come to our office only when there is a hearing or a formal case to be taken up. One of my members received the information that a girl had escaped from the Children’s Home for Girls after which we pressed the ashram authorities to complain to the police. Our teams immediately went out to look out for the girl and the police also came in shortly.”