Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Tuesday demanded a high-level independent probe into the case of 57 girl inmates of a government shelter home in Kanpur, including five who were pregnant, testing positive for COVID-19.
Taking to Twitter, Ms. Mayawati asked the Uttar Pradesh government to take strict action against the accused and not cover up the issue. Also, she demanded that “humane corrections” be made at all shelter homes for girls in the State.
Fifty-seven inmates of Rajkiya Balika Grah in Kanpur’s Swarup Nagar were found positive for COVID-19, the district administration said on Sunday.
57 girls of Kanpur home test positive for COVID-19
Amid reports that a few of these girls were were also found to be pregnant, the administration clarified that the information was recorded at the time of their arrival at the centre.
According to District Magistrate Kanpur Brahma Deo Ram Tiwari, five girls were pregnant when they were brought to the shelter home, he added.
“These girls were brought from different districts on the directions of the CWC (child welfare committees) under POCSO Act,” said Mr. Tiwari.
The girls came from Agra, Kannauj, Firozabad, Etah and Kanpur. Two other pregnant girls have been found negative, he added.
Ms. Mayawati said the details of the case proved that let alone women honour, even in cases of women security, the government was irresponsible, negligent and indifferent.
The Kanpur administration has further clarified that reports of the girls getting pregnant during their stay at the shelter home were baseless and wrong.
