Minor girl sexually assaulted in Kolkata orphanage, police complaint lodged
Kolkata, Apr 30 (IBNS): Four months after a 10-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted at a century-old orphanage in south Kolkata's Ripon Street area, governing body of the asylum on Monday registered a complaint with the city police at Park Street Police Station, reports said.
According to reports, the minor orphan girl, who is a resident of the Calcutta Muslim Orphanage (Girls' Section), alleged that she was sexually harassed and assaulted by an "unknown" construction worker in December last year when renovation works were underway at the orphanage.
The victim girl claimed that she informed the orphanage's principle about the incident, but she allegedly neither took any action nor lodged a police complaint.
Last week, few other residents of the asylum raised the issue again and flashed the matter outside the orphanage's boundary following which the management decided to go to the police.
Nearly 200 residents live there in the reputed orphanage, which was established in 1892, while Kolkata's deputy mayor Iqbal Ahmed is an active member of its executive committee.
A member of the orphanage's executive board told IBNS, "We came to know about the incident on Sunday night and after holding a meeting on Monday, we decided to file a police complaint."
"We are inquiring to know why the matter was kept hidden from us for last 4 months and if anyone found guilty, we will take strict steps against him/her," the member said.
However, a local police official told IBNS that a probe has been begun into the matter.
"We've received a complaint and a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act has been registered at Park Street Police Station. Investigation is currently underway," the police official added.
(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha)
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