DHENKANAL: The district administration on Sunday shifted the inmates of illegally run Good News India Dream Centre’s shelter home at Beltikiri to child care institution of Maharshi Dayananda Service Mission (MDSM) even as police arrested three persons in connection with the case.
As many as 47 girl inmates of the home were sent to MDSM’s open shelter and 33 boys to its child care institution under police protection on the direction of Collector and district child protection unit Chairman Nikhil Pawan Kalyan. The shelter home was also sealed.
Sadar police arrested three persons of the shelter home including caretaker Simanchal Naik, another employee and chairman Faiz Reheman and forwarded them to court. Police have sought their remand from the court for further investigation.
Dhenkanal SP Santosh Kumar Nayak said they will talk to children and investigate how the shelter home was running illegally so long. District Child Protection Officer Anuradha Goswami declined to comment why the home was not inspected after its application was rejected in 2016 due to non-compliance of Juvenile Justice Act.
MDSM officials said they have made necessary arrangements for two boys of the shelter home to appear at examination in Beltikiri high school.
Meanwhile, a team of State BJP Mahila Morcha led by its president Pravati Parida visited Beltikiri shelter home. As children were not present there, they tried to enter MDSM to meet the children but police did not allow them. They sought permission of the Collector in this regard, but Collector did not allow them. This led to heated exchanges between the Morcha members and the Collector. They sat on a dharna in front of the Collector’s office in protest and later returned to Bhubaneswar.