New Delhi, Dec 29: Girls of a shelter home in Delhi were allegedly abused by its staff, following which an FIR was registered by the police, the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) said Friday.
During an inspection of shelter homes in Delhi on Thursday, the DCW members interacted with girls aged 6-15 to understand their experience of residing at a shelter home, a DCW statement said.
Some elder girls at a shelter home in Dwarka area alleged that the female staff put chilli powder in their private parts as punishment. They were also forced to have chilli powder, it said.
Any sort of defiant behaviour from the children would be met with "serious and grave punishment" because of which they had become submissive, it said.
The teenage girls were also forced to wash utensils and clothes, clean rooms and toilets, and perform other kitchen chores, as the home did not have adequate staff. There was only one cook in the home for the 22 girls and staff, and the quality of food was not good, the statement said.
The teenage girls complained that they were beaten with scales for not keeping their rooms clean and not listening to the staff. They were not permitted to go home during summer and winter vacations, it said
The committee members shared the allegations with DCW chief Swati Maliwal who immediately reached the home at 8 pm.
Maliwal immediately called the Dwarka deputy commissioner of police, who sent a team of senior officers to the home and recorded statements of the children. An FIR has been registered by the Delhi Police against the staff, the DCW said.
The DCW chairperson and the members of the expert committee stayed in the home till early morning, the statement said.
A team of DCW counsellors as well as police have been deputed in the home 24/7 to ensure the safety of the children. The DCW shall continue to monitor the condition of the shelter home, it added.
Earlier, the DCW had set up an expert committee in consultation with the Delhi government on shelter homes to inspect various private and government-run shelter homes and give suggestions for their improvement.
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Raipur (PTI): Amid reports of shortage of commercial LPG cylinder in several parts of the country due to the US-Israel-Iran conflict, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Tuesday assured people that they need not worry about the availability of cooking gas in the state.
He asserted that adequate stock of LPG as well as petrol and diesel was available in the state.
Sai said in a statement that authorities have been directed to regularly monitor stock at gas agencies and keep a close watch on the supply chain. Necessary instructions were issued to officials in all districts to ensure a smooth supply of LPG.
The chief minister instructed officials to take strict action if any complaint of black marketing or hoarding of LPG cylinders is received.
Sai urged state residents not to pay attention to rumours and to book cooking gas cylinders as per their actual requirement.
The government was fully alert to ensure the availability of essential commodities to citizens, he emphasised.
Meanwhile, the Chhattisgarh Hotel and Restaurant Association has issued an advisory to hotels, restaurants, caterers and other food businesses across the state, urging them to maintain calm and avoid panic buying.
In the advisory, Taranjeet Singh Hora, president of the association, asked members to maintain coordination and immediately inform it about any major disruption in LPG supply.
He cautioned businesses against hoarding cylinders, saying such practices could worsen the situation for the entire hospitality sector.
The association advised hotels and restaurants to prioritise essential kitchen operations, core menu items and already committed banquet events.
Use electric cooking equipment wherever possible for emergency and staff kitchens such as induction cooktops, electric hot plates, electric rice cookers and kettles, the advisory stated.
