Haldwani: In a shocking development, two female employees at an observation home for girls have been accused of facilitating the rape of a minor girl in Uttarakhand's Haldwani.
The female staff members, the victim has alleged, would take her outside the observation home, where she was then raped. On the complaint of Child Welfare Committee member Ravindra Rautela, Haldwani Kotwali police registered a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against the two female employees on Friday evening.
The State Women and Child Development Department has also taken cognizance of the matter. Minister Rekha Arya said she is personally monitoring the case and has given clear instructions to officials to carry out a thorough probe. One of the accused, a child communication assistant, has been suspended with immediate effect based on the allegations, while another, posted through the Home Guard Department at Women Welfare and Rehabilitation Centre, Haldwani, has been sent back to the department with immediate effect, the minister said.
She said she has also constituted a two-member committee for an impartial departmental investigation of the matter. "Immediate action has been taken by the department. After the investigation report comes, further action will be taken against the culprits. The police is also investigating the entire matter. After investigation, strict legal action will be taken against whoever is found guilty," the minister said.
"The girl's medical examination has also been done. The police are busy investigating the entire matter," police sources said.
