Kanpur's shelter home: 57, including five pregnant girls, test COVID-positive
57 girls of a government-run shelter home in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, tested positive for coronavirus last week, turning the facility into a hotspot. Out of these 57 girls, five are pregnant and one is HIV positive. Separately, two girls who hadn't tested COVID-positive were found to be pregnant, reports News18. The administration said they were pregnant before they arrived. Here are more details.
One of the pregnant girls is HIV positive
Reports revealed that one of the pregnant girls is HIV positive, and another has been infected with Hepatitis C. A Class IV woman employee of the facility also tested positive. The hotspot was sealed and all its staff quarantined. Kanpur's Senior Superintendent of Police Dinesh Kumar P said rumors are being spread, but this particular shelter home's story is not similar to Muzaffarpur's.
What was the Muzaffarpur shelter home case which jolted India?
In 2018, India was shocked on knowing the treatment given to girls at a state-run shelter home in Muzaffarpur, Bihar. The minors were raped, thrashed, forced to sleep without food, and sent to influential accomplices of the well-connected owner, Brajesh Thakur. The Supreme Court looked into the case, CBI took over the investigation, and later Brajesh Thakur was arrested. He was convicted in January.
Kanpur is already dealing with a spurt in coronavirus cases
The facility is located in Swaroop Nagar and the positive cases would further strain the city, which is already battling a surge in cases. Kanpur has 400 active coronavirus cases and 37 people have passed away. About the future steps, the administration said two of the pregnant girls were sent to Hallet Hospital and three to Rama Medical College for treatment.
The girls were pregnant before coming here: District Magistrate
Meanwhile, District Magistrate Brahmdev Tiwari said the pregnant girls were sent to the shelter home through five child welfare committees in different districts — Agra, Etah, Kannauj, Firozabad, and Kanpur. "These are cases under the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses) Act. When they were admitted to the shelter they were already pregnant," he said. SSP Kumar said documents would give a clearer picture.
Cops haven't been able to seize documents yet
"We haven't been able to access all the documents due to the shelter being sealed, but when we get them, it will be clear since when they have been pregnant," Kumar said, adding that they will learn the source of infection too.
Separately, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra demanded accountability from government
Notably, UP Women's Commission member Poonam Kapoor said some staff members went to Hallet Hospital and could have been infected there. "No males are allowed to enter the shelter. Such matters shouldn't be twisted — the girls were already pregnant," Kapoor said on the issue. Commenting on the matter, Congress' Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, said these reports show investigations don't happen diligently.
She reminded of the horrendous Muzaffarpur case
"The case at the shelter home in Muzaffarpur (Bihar) is in front of the country. A similar case also emerged in UP's Deoria. So, for another such case to emerge shows that in the name of probes, everything is suppressed," she wrote on Facebook.
