Rights group rescues chained girl

By Our Staff Correspondent

CHANDIGARH, JAN. 8. A human rights group, Insaaf International, based in Bathinda has claimed to have rescued a 15-year-old unnamed girl, who was allegedly kept chained by volunteers of a local welfare club.

According to a press release quoting Insaaf's general secretary, Dr. Vineeta Gupta, issued here, their group got an anonymous call on Friday regarding the plight of the girl kept in a roadside makeshift shelter put up by a local club in Bathinda city. The caller also reported that the volunteers sexually abused the young girl, who had been chained. Though Insaaf International has said that the name and other particulars regarding the family of the girl were not known, it had evidence of the inhuman treatment meted out to her. The rights organisation has decided to withhold the name of the club for the time being.

On receiving information that a group of four young men of the club on the pretext of giving bath and maintaining her personal hygiene had reached the shelter where the girl was kept, a team of the Insaaf International rushed to the spot. But the young men had left. A middle-aged woman who appeared to be mentally deranged and one of the other three destitute kept there, was hurling abuses after the volunteers had left and were heard cursing them for what they had done to the young girl.

The press release said on reaching the spot, the Insaaf team saw the young girl was chained and sitting with her head on the knees was repeating ``roti khanwangee'' (I will eat food).

The Insaaf International release said that neighbours had even heard the women screaming and no female volunteer or worker, from this ``welfare club'' ever visited that shelter to help those unfortunate women. Though hundreds of big advertisement boards with great expenses are put up in the city and surrounding areas promoting the club as the helper of the helpless, no shelter for the helpless is maintained by the club, the Insaaf International release added.

Neighbours were apprehensive of coming out with information fearing repercussions as the club is patronised by the district authorities. Intriguingly, while there was a psychiatric department in the government hospital in Bathinda City, the girl rescued by the rights group was never sent there for proper care and treatment. Instead, she was kept chained by the club in the roadside shelter, which is covered by plastic bags from the sides.

Dr. Vineeta Gupta said she immediately went to the Assistant Superintendent Police (ASP) whose office is in the police station and just across the road from where the young girl was kept chained. Dr. Gupta reported the matter to the ASP and requested the officer to accompany her to verify the facts himself, but he refused. Then Insaaf team then met the SSP, who ordered that the girl be rescued immediately.

While the Deputy Commissioner of Bathinda district, Mr. Jaspal Singh expressed total ignorance about the episode, he however admitted some clubs and NGOs were involved in providing shelter to destitute persons. He said the district administration on various occasions does seek the help such social organisations.

The SSP of Bathinda, Mr. J.K. Jain, while accepting that the girl had been rescued said that no offence could be immediately made out. He said on the complaint of the Insaaf International, a police party did recover the girl and she was sent to some mental hospital.

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