Shelter home case: Deoria SP transferred, role of police stations being investigated

The report also held the station house officer (SHO) of City Kotwali police station, Vijay Singh Gaur, responsible for not taking action after an FIR was registered against the shelter home owner, for which he has been suspended.

The case had come to light earlier this month, when 23 inmates of the shelter home were rescued following allegations of sexual abuse.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had ordered ADG Gorakhpur (zone) Dawa Sherpa to probe the role of police in the matter.

According to a statement issued by the state home department Wednesday, Kanay and Shanker have been attached to the DGP headquarters. Shanker had served as Deoria SP from September 2017 to March 2018.

SP Mahoba, N Kolanchi, was made the new SP of Deoria while DIG Anti-Corruption Organisation (ACO) Ashutosh Kumar will replace Rakesh Shanker as DIG (Basti range).

State DGP Om Prakash Singh told The Indian Express, “The action was taken on the basis of a preliminary report submitted by ADG Dawa Sherpa. The role of the police will be clearer after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) which is probing into the matter submits its report.”

The government order stated that the DGP would initiate departmental action against the in-charges of police stations from where girls and women were sent to the shelter home. “The DGP should inform the government about action taken,” stated the statement.

DGP Singh said, “The ADG of Gorakhpur zone will find out from how many police stations the inmates were sent (to the shelter home), who sent them, what was the role of the police and for how much time the inmates were sent. There will be a detailed examination so it will take time.”

ADG (Crime) Sanjay Singhal, who is heading the SIT probing the case said the investigation ongoing, but did not elaborate.

District police had recorded the statements of all inmates found at the shelter home. Their statements were recorded before a judicial magistrate as well. Additional SP (Deoria) Ganesh Prasad Saha said they had completed the physical verification of all 48 inmates whose records were recovered from the shelter home.

During the search at the shelter home earlier this month, a list of 43 inmates was presented to the police. Of the 23 rescued, 18 were on the list and five others were yet to be added. A total of 48 people were found to be official inmates of the home.