With the arrest of three persons of an NGO for the alleged sexual exploitation of minor girls, the opposition Congress and the BJP Monday demanded a high level inquiry into matter.
The police had Sunday sealed the illegal shelter home, run illegally by the NGO in Odisha's Dhenkanal district, and arrested its managing director.
Following a visit to Dhenkanal, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday alleged that the shelter home was being used as a centre for religious conversions.
BJP Mahila Morcha president Prabhati Parida alleged that the USA based NGO was using its shelter home to convert the inmates, especially boys and girls from the tribal community.
"The head office of the NGO is in the USA and all the governing members of the board are foreigners," Parida claimed questioning the state government for allegedly allowing the NGO to re-open the shelter home in 2017, after it was shut down in 2015.
"The minister should immediately resign on moral grounds owning responsibility," Parida demanded.
Mahila Congress leader Sonali Sahu demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry under supervision of a Supreme Court or High Court judge into the matter.
Women and Child Development Minister Prafulla Samal, meanwhile, refused to resign and said that the state government was taking stringent action against the people involved in the incident.
The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in a press release accused the BJP of doing cheap politics over a sensitive issue like alleged sexual abuse.
"The BJP is shouting only to gain cheap political publicity. They should desist from indulging in politicisation of a sensitive matter like this especially when it involves children and their well-being," said BJD MP and party spokesperson Prasant Nanda.
Meanwhile, Odisha Director General of Police (DGP) R P Shara has asked the Superintendents of Police (SPs) of all the districts to provide details about the number of shelter homes operating in their respective districts.
He has also asked them to verify whether the shelter homes were registered and details about their modus operandi.
The officials of women and child development department on Monday conducted simultaneous raids at Nandapur in Tihidi block in Bhadrak district, Baliguda in Kandhamal district, Chuliaposi in Udala block and Rairangpur block in Mayurbhanj district.
On the other hand, the inmates of the Dhenkanal shelter home - 47 girls and 34 boys aged between 5 and 16 years - were shifted to another childcare institution.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
