The Andhra Pradesh Women’s Commission Chairperson Vasireddy Padma has said that the government has taken the alleged ‘sexual harassment’ in the government-run Swadhar Home at Bommuru in Rajamahendravaram in East Godavari district very seriously and is taking steps to prevent recurrence of such incidents.
“Sexual assault on four inmates of the home is very unfortunate. The victims and the other inmates were shifted to another home. Instructions have been given to give proper counselling and medical aid to them,” Ms. Padma told The Hindu on Sunday.
Instructions have been given to the Women Development and Child Welfare (WD&CW) officials to visit the shelter homes during the lockdown period, interact with the inmates, extend necessary counselling and ensure the safety of the women referred to the homes across the State, she said.
“The WD&CW Visakhapatnam Regional Joint Director (RJD), Padma, has been directed to submit a report on the incident. The officer will inquire for how long the victims had been harassed, the staff involved and the negligence of employees, if any,” Commission Director R. Suez said.
Women’s Commission member Rajya Lakshmi also visited the home and enquired about the incident.
“The National Women’s Commission has asked about the functioning of Swadhar Homes across the State recently, and we submitted a report. Based on the present incident, we will prepare an action plan to step up security at all homes,” said Commission Secretary Nirmala.
Action taken
Police registered cases against the watchman of the home Reddy Babu and matron Aruna Kumari and arrested them. WD&CW District Home official Ramanasri had been suspended on charges of negligence, the Chairperson said.
WD&CW Director Krithika Shukla, who visited the home, interacted with the victims and staff. She handed over ₹1 lakh compensation to the victims (₹25,000 each).
