Garhwal Post Bureau
DEHRADUN, 31 May: A disturbing case of alleged sexual exploitation of children has been exposed by Uttarakhand Child Rights Protection Commission related to an illegal hostel, reportedly connected with a pre-preparatory school named “Pencil Box” in the Kargi Chowk area of Dehradun. The school, managed by a trust registered in Delhi, was operating at the pre-preparatory level and had not received any official recognition from education authorities.
Acting on a complaint, a team from the commission, along with its chairperson Geeta Khanna, conducted an inspection of both the school and the hostel. The inspection revealed that the school proprietor had also been illegally running a hostel for mentally challenged children on the first floor of a nearby rented building. The hostel was found in a run-down condition, lacking essential safety standards and was allegedly operating without any legal permissions. Officials have claimed that the hostel was being run entirely illegally.
According to sources, a single mother had admitted her two mentally challenged sons to this hostel, hoping they would receive safe and sensitive care. During a recent visit, the children insisted on going outside. Once outside, both brothers reportedly disclosed to their mother that an attendant on night duty at the hostel had been sexually exploiting them.
Following these serious allegations, the mother immediately lodged a police complaint. The police acted swiftly and arrested the accused, who is a resident of Banaras. It has come to light that the accused had been working at the hostel since 16 May only and his police verification had not been conducted.
Currently, the pre-preparatory school has been shut down. The authorities have also announced that on the coming Monday, the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) will interact with the other 15 children who were enrolled at the school. A thorough investigation into the entire incident is now underway under the supervision of the CWC and related departments. Officials have assured that stringent action will be taken against those found guilty of any wrongdoing.
