Kanpur Shelter Home: 57 girls tested COVID-19 +ve; UP Govt suspended Probation Officer, Acting Superintendent

On Friday, the Uttar Pradesh Government  suspended Kanpur’s District Probation Officer (DPO), and the officiating superintendent of a shelter home where 57 girls, of whom five are pregnant, tested positive for Covid-19 last week.

Department of Women Welfare’s Director Manoj Kumar Rai said DPO Ajeet Kumar and Assistant Superintendent Mithlesh Pal were suspended on charges of not following directives of the state government and the department. They are also accused of not providing correct facts to the media, resulting in circulation of false information, Rai said.

According to another government official, Ajeet Kumar is also accused of not conducting regular inspections at the shelter, and Pal is accused of not taking necessary precautions after the pandemic began. An official in the women welfare department said that in the absence of a regular superintendent, for the past three years, Pal was looking after the shelter.

Earlier this week, Ajeet Kumar had lodged a complaint against unidentified people and the press for allegedly circulating false information about the shelter.

Meanwhile, National Commission for Women, taking cognizance of a complaint by activist Nutan Thakur, has sent a notice to the District Magistrate, seeking a report on the matter. Thakur has alleged that Supreme Court directions regarding protection of children in shelter homes were not followed in this instance.

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