Nitish expresses displeasure over reports of sexual abuse in

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today expressed displeasure over recent reports of sexual exploitation of girls lodged in state-funded homes in the state.

Kumar was replying to queries about the sexual assault of a young woman at a short stay home in Saran district, which came to light last week barely a month after complaints of sexual exploitation by girls at a shelter home in Muzaffarpur led to the arrest of more than 10 people.

These incidents are gruesome and obviously the perpetrators suffer from perversions. These will not be tolerated and strictest possible action will be taken against the guilty persons," he told reporters after his weekly public interaction programme 'Lok Samvaad'.

"Perhaps the apparent rise in reports of such incidents is because earlier such offences went unreported. We see the reports as a positive sign as these would enable us to take deterrent action," the chief minister added.

An FIR was lodged in Saran on Saturday in connection with the rape of a mentally unstable young woman and two staff members of the short stay home, where she was staying, were arrested when it was found that she had become pregnant as a result of the sexual assault.

Kumar summoned the principal secretary to the social welfare department, Atul Prasad and instructed HIM to ensure that antecedents of those running such shelter homes were properly verified to avoid occurrence of the heinous offence.

The chief minister also asked him to apprise the media persons of the steps being taken to prevent such episodes.

Prasad said that for the past seven to eight months, the department has been conducting extensive investigation of all shelter homes and short stay homes and coming to the fore of the incidents at Muzaffarpur and Saran are due to it.

He said the department has taken prompt and effective action and the Muzaffarpur shelter home has been sealed and its occupants shifted elsewhere. Similar action has been taken at Saran.

The persons involved in the administration of the shelter homes have been arrested and NGOs running them have been blacklisted, Prasad added.