Journalism of Courage
The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Friday constituted a special investigation team SIT headed by a senior
police officer to investigate the alleged sexual exploitation of mentally challenged minor girls at a home for such children.
The state High Court also took suo motu notice of the matter on Friday,with Chief Justice M M Kumar asking for the matter to be listed before a division bench on Monday.
The police had on Thursday arrested two people,director S C Sharma and watchman Angad Kumar,working at the Rotary Innerwheel Home for mentally challenged girls at Channi Rama. The arrests came after doctors confirmed five girls were sexually exploited there.
The SIT will be headed by SP South,Rajeshwar Singh. Sources said the police have got a weeks remand of Kumar from the court to question him in detail.
The police also called other members of the home for questioning and plan to quiz former employees to get more information.
There was no proper record of visitors coming to the home or the girls being taken out by staff members,said a senior police officer.
The officer added that more arrests are likely since the girls may have been taken to people outside the home as well.
The Jammu and Kashmir government,meanwhile,constituted a five-member team to manage the home for the time being. Sharma,an ex-employee of the Command Defence Accounts,took charge of the home in April this year.
