Bhawanipatna: Kalahandi District Child Protection Unit officials raided a Bhawanipatna-based child care institute, which came under scanner over alleged sexual assault of an HIV-afflicted girl by its head.
The officials examined several documents and questioned its staff regarding the incident.
On Saturday, the girl’s mother had lodged a complaint with the District Child Protection Officer (DCPO) alleging that her daughter, an inmate of the shelter home, was sexually assaulted by head of the institution Saroj Das for the last one year.
The girl contracted HIV after she was raped by her relative two years back. Her family members then wrote to the then Collector to take her in a shelter home. After being produced before the child welfare committee and she was sent to Vision, which provides shelter to children affected by HIV and facilitates regular checkups and their treatment with the government support.
The girl in her statement alleged that other girls in the institution were also being sexually assaulted.
Meanwhile, Das has refuted the allegations. He told the media that the girl had been demanding money from him and lodged the allegations against him when he declined.
He further said that parents of the girl took her home on March 25 and suspected a conspiracy behind levelling the allegations after so many days.
Meanwhile, Bhawanipatna Town police have detained Das for questioning.
