Bangalore:
Residents in Bangalore are shocked over allegations that young girls have been molested in a State home for girls.
A 14-year-old recounted her trauma to NDTV. "I want to speak to the child separately, he said and then my Miss went outside. He touched me in a very bad way. I pushed him, told him, go away, go away" said the girl alleging that she was molested by Balakrishna Masli, a child welfare officer in charge of rehabilitating destitute girls.
Two years ago the girl, who is an orphan, had been rescued from domestic work and abuse by an NGO called APSA (Association for Promoting Social Action).
Now, three more girl children in the State girls' home have testified against Masli.
The Executive Director of APSA, P Lakshapathy, said, "She was crying. She said I don't want to come to the committee. We asked her why? She told that something wrong had happened to her."
How a lone male member was allowed separate access to a destitute child is an important question?
The Department of Women and Child Welfare is yet to form the required 5-member panel. The earlier panel's term ended in March. And even after the complaints no FIR was filed for an entire week.
Masli was not available for a comment.
Dr. Shamla Iqbal, Director of the Department of Women & Child Development in the Karnataka government said, "Yes, the complaint was found to be true. But I was out of station for 2-3 days and then there was 2 days of leave. But we filed the FIR the very next day".
Child welfare activists are up in arms. They allege that there are glaring loopholes in the way the Juvenile Justice Act is implemented allowing children to be abused by the very system that is meant to protect them.