Madhya Pradesh Orphanage Minors Allegedly Burnt and Hung Upside Down
The children disclosed instances of extreme torture, including the burning of their skin and being forced to inhale red chilli smoke
In a shocking revelation, the police in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh have initiated an investigation into an orphanage following disturbing allegations of child abuse. A surprise inspection by the state Women and Child Welfare Department uncovered the distressing accounts of as many as 21 children who claimed to have experienced horrific abuse at the private institution for minor girls.
According to the authorities, the children disclosed instances of extreme torture, including the burning of their skin with hot tongs and being forced to inhale red chilli smoke as a form of punishment. The children further revealed that they were subjected to hanging upside down, branding with hot irons, and even being photographed in a stripped state. The facility, located in Madhya Pradesh, housed orphans from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Odisha, and the host state itself.
The orphanage in question is operated by the Vatsalyapuram Jain Trust, overseeing a total of 13 such institutions across the country, including in Bengaluru, Jodhpur, and Kolkata. Disturbingly, it has come to light that the trust has not been registered under the Juvenile Justice Act, raising concerns about the lack of proper oversight.
The Child Welfare Committee (CWC) took action based on intelligence indicating potential abuse at the institution. CWC chairperson Pallavi Porwal stated, “We formulated a team on orders of the district collector and got inputs that this orphanage was abusing children.” The investigation was prompted, in part, by social media posts where individuals who celebrated birthdays at the orphanage later made allegations of abuse, prompting the committee to take immediate action.
An unsettling aspect of the orphanage’s operations revealed during the investigation was the absence of adequate security measures, such as gates and a visitors’ register. Furthermore, the facility claimed to be an orphanage, but upon further scrutiny, parents of the children in question turned up, raising suspicions about the true nature of the institution.
The Child Welfare Committee member, Sangeeta Chaudhary, disclosed that while 25 girls were officially registered at the orphanage, only 21 were present on the day of the surprise raid. She highlighted the lack of security at the entrance and the absence of a visitors’ register, indicating a lapse in maintaining basic protocols. Chaudhary also alleged that parents of the children emerged only after the authorities intervened.
In response to the grave allegations, an FIR (First Information Report) has been registered against five employees of the institution, marking the initiation of a comprehensive investigation. The FIR detailed one particularly distressing incident where a four-year-old child was allegedly confined in a bathroom and denied food for two to three days as a punishment for defecating in their pants.
As the probe unfolds, questions are being raised about the overall functioning and oversight of orphanages operated by the Vatsalyapuram Jain Trust. The fact that the trust has not been registered under the Juvenile Justice Act underscores potential regulatory loopholes that may have allowed such abuse to persist unchecked.
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