The head of the foster family is the spouse of the chairman of CWC in the East Singbhum district.
The victim stated that the chairman of the CC Pushpa Rani Tirkey was aware of the sexual abuse although did not take any action and frequently beat the victim. The shocking details appeared in an investigation of the sexual abuse of two underage girls in a state government-approved NGO, Mother Teresa Welfare Trust (MTWT) in Jharkhand.
According to a report in the Hindustan Times, the police reported that in addition to the two victims, other girls also were exposed to sexual abuse for more than four years. They are expanding the scope of their investigation.
Underage girls are abused and tortured in foster homes.
The terrible incident came to light when the two victims disappeared and were subsequently found by the police. While tracking the girls’ mobile phones, they were found in a house in Birsanagar the next day; during the interrogation, the girls revealed that they had decided to flee the shelter to avoid continued torture and sexual assault by the caretaker of the shelter.
Minors studied at a nearby girls’ school but were sent to the institution after the school was closed during the lockdown. Jamshedpur senior superintendent of police Dr M Tamil Vanan informed that two minor girls, aged 16 and 17, have given video-recorded statements in which they reiterated all the charges made in their statements to the special POCSO court.
The girls revealed that they were physically and mentally tortured at the home shelter. They were even forced to give in to the sexual demands of the perpetrators.
The accused Harpal Singh Thapar, director of the NGO, his wife Pushpa Rani Tirkey, who is also the chairperson of East Singhbhum district child welfare committee (CWC), warden Geeta Singh, her son Aditya Singh, and another staff member Tony Singh are absconding.
According to reports, Thapar and other men sexually assaulted minors, and Tirkey frequently beat them. On Tuesday, under the relevant sections of the POCSO Act and the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, an FIR was filed against the complaint of two girls rescued by the police.
In addition to physical and sexual abuse, the girls are also forced to do housework.
Dr. Vanan revealed the horrible details. The report said: “The investigation found that Thapar was allegedly in a physical relationship with the warden’s 19-year-old daughter. He and others often sexually abused and exploited the victims.”
According to SSP’s information, although these girls have complained to the head of CWC Tirki many times in the past four years, she has not taken any action against the perpetrators, and the police are waiting for the women’s medical reports. Two girls were rescued to determine if they were raped. Earlier this week, the trust made headlines after a video of a girl doing menial jobs , including working in a garbage dump, went viral on social media.
This forced the regional administration to become aware of the problem, which led to the formation of a four-person team to investigate the matter further.
In addition, the police are also investigating the cause of death of a three-and-a-half-year-old girl who died at home because of a brain tumour 25 days ago.
In a report to Deputy Commissioner Jamshedpur, SSP Dr. Vanan said: “This girl is the daughter of a rape survivor who did not want to keep her. Thapar and his wife did not inform the police or the district administration of this Death incident, which they are legally bound to.”
Regarding the Mother Teresa Welfare Trust
It is reported that NGOs approved by the Jharkhand state government have nothing to do with Mother Teresa’s charitable missionaries. The foster family is located in Shamsher Tower in Kharangajhar, which has three floors and 23 girls live in two rooms on the second floor.
The warden lives with her daughter and son in another room on the same floor. Thapar and Tirkey also live in the same building on the first floor, while 22 boys live on the ground floor. Currently, these girls are rehabilitated and 21 of them are currently under the care of Seraikela-Kharsawan CWC.
Funds in personal accounts
Thapar and Tirki seem to have transferred government funds and private donations to their personal accounts, which are also under investigation. According to the report, SSP Dr. Vanan said, “The girls told us that they took away a lot of donated money to buy clothes, food and other items by donors. Five accused will be arrested soon as different teams are raiding possible hiding places”.
