C'garh: Manager of women's shelter home held for raping inmate

The manager of a shelter homefor women was arrested on Thursday in Chhattisgarh's Bilaspurdistrict for allegedly raping one of its inmates, police said.

The development took place two days after the 19-year-old victim along with two other women, who were recentlyshifted out of the shelter home, accused its staff ofindulging in sexual and physical abuse against the inmates.

''The statements of the three women were recordedbefore a magistrate under section 164 of the CrPC on Thursday,during which one of them stated that she was raped by sheltermanager Jitendra Maurya,'' Bilaspur Superintendent of PolicePrashant Agrawal said.

Another woman alleged that she was physicallyassaulted by the shelter staff, he said.

Based on the statement, Maurya was arrested andfurther investigation into the matter is underway, he added.

Ujjwala Home Bilaspur, operated by NGO Shri ShivmangalShikshan Samiti since 2014, landed in controversy on January17 when a 20-year-old woman was allegedly denied to leave theshelter even as her husband had reached the place to take herback home.

''The 20-year-old woman had been shifted to the shelterhome on January 16 when she was found wandering nearby. Shesaid she had left her home after a fight with her husband'',another police official had said.

The next day, her husband reached the shelter home totake her back, during which the staff of the facility askedhim to show the proof that he is her spouse, following whichhe entered into a verbal spat with them, he said.

The man then forcibly took his wife and reachedSarkanda police station, where they lodged a case of wrongfulconfinement, voluntarily causing hurt and obscene acts againstthe shelter home staff.

Shelter home manager Maurya also lodged a case againstthe woman's family on charges of house trespass and obsceneacts, he said.

Meanwhile, two other women had also reached the policestation alleging physical and mental abuse of inmates at theshelter home and they were also made complainants in the case,he said.

On Tuesday, the three women had approached the mediastating that one of them was sexually assaulted by Maurya andother inmates were physically tortured by the shelter staff,following which they were called up for recording theirstatement before the magistrate on Thursday.

The woman who has claimed that she was raped byMaurya, is a victim in an another gang-rape case.

After their statements, section 376 (rape) and 354(molestation) of the IPC were included in the case alreadyregistered against Maurya and shelter home staff on January17, the SP said, adding that further investigation into thecase is underway.

Maurya, however, had denied the charges.

Another government official said the shelter home hasbeen shut and seven other inmates have been shifted to theirhomes and other government facilities.