Odisha DGP directs verification of shelter homes

Odisha Director General of Police (DGP) R.P. Sharma on Monday ordered a thorough verification of Child Care Institutions (CCI) in the state.

The directive of the Odisha Police came after the sexual abuse of some inmates of shelter homes was reported in Deoria in Uttar Pradesh and Muzaffarpur in Bihar.

Apprehending such illicit activities in the state, Sharma instructed all Superintendents of Police (SPs) including Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) Bhubaneswar and Cuttack to conduct a verification of the child care institutions situated in their respective jurisdictions.

The DGP instructed the SPs to constitute a team comprising officers of the Investigative Unit on Crimes Against Women (IUCAW), Integrated Anti Human Trafficking Unit (IAHTU) and the Special Juvenile Police Unit (SJPU) including women officers of the district for verification of shelter homes on a priority basis.

He asked them to submit the reports in order to streamline the activities of CCIs and to check any future incidents in the children's shelter homes.

The visiting teams must behave in a polite manner with the inmates as well as the management and no one should be harassed during this exercise, said the DGP.

"In case any incident of sexual abuse of children comes to light, immediate and stringent legal action must follow without any delay," said Sharma.

--IANS

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