UP: Shelter home's girls were drugged and 'sent to men'
The minor inmates of shelter home named Maa Vindhyavasini Mahila and Balika Sanrakshan Griha in Uttar Pradesh's Deoria were drugged before they were 'sent' to powerful men, TOI reports. In August, the scandal in the shelter home came to fore, weeks after what happened in Muzaffarpur shelter home in Bihar shocked the nation. Details from Deoria are equally horrifying. Here's more.
Backstory: An 10-year-old escaped, narrated the ordeal
The abuse came to light in August, after a 10-year-old managed to escape the home, and contacted the police. On August 25, in a press conference, Deoria SP Rohan Kanay revealed what happened inside the establishment. Subsequently, an inquiry was ordered. The shelter home was run by Girija Tripathi, whose wealth grew exponentially in the last eight years, neighbors said.
Girls tell Tripathi drugged them to ensure 'there's no pain'
A 12-year-old, in her statement, said Tripathi used to drug girls before sending them to places for sex. The girl said Tripathi told them the 'drug would ensure they don't feel pain'. Another 13-year-old claimed a madam threatened them. The lady said if they spoke about it to police, they will be murdered. Apparently, she asked girls to 'enjoy with the powerful men'.
Men came in bikes, car, gave money to Tripathi
Yet another girl, who is only 12 years old, said during her five-month stay at the home, she was sent to Gorakhpur at least five-six times per month. She said before picking her up from the shelter around 4 PM, the men used to pay cash to Tripathi. "Each time there was a different person. Sometimes, men would come in bikes," she revealed.
Girls were also beaten, fed poor food
Apart from the sexual abuse, the inmates also had to keep up with other atrocities. The girls told the quality of the food was bad. They were also given corporal punishment for not doing chores like cleaning and washing dishes.
