Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network-Panaji
Panaji, May 13: Goa police will inquire into the role played by an NGO in the child smuggling from state run shelter home, if some concrete evidence is found against it during their inquiry, a senior police officer told recently.
The superintendent of police (north), Vijay Singh said that the inquiry would be conducted against NGO, if their links are found during the internal inquiry. Police have arrested four children, a gangster and a caretaker of Apna Ghar – state government run shelter home for children in conflict with law, breaking the nexus between them. The children were being smuggled out of the shelter home and used by gangster for heinous crimes.
The caretakers working with the Apna Ghar, two days back, addressing a press conference had claimed that out of four children, two were with the NGO, insisting that the police should inquire into the role played by it. They had also alleged that NGO’s office bearers were entering in the shelter home late night and used to beat the children.
Singh said that the investigation into the nexus is still going on and it would not be fair to comment further at this juncture. The directorate of women and child welfare, which is running the shelter home, has come in full support for the NGO, whom they had empanelled to work with the children.
“What’s to be inquired into it? The custody was given to NGO, there is no doubt about it. But the children were in NGO custody when they were arrested and not when they were involved in robbery,” reacted Sanjiv Gadkar, director of women and child welfare department.
When asked why there is no FIR filed against six caretakers against whom the state government has cleared the file, Gadkar feigned innocence. “I will have to check the file. I am not in the office,” he said. The chief minister Manohar Parrikar had cleared the file giving instructions for the police to file FIR against six caretakers, who were allegedly involved in letting the children escape from remand home.