2 Held For Raping Visually Impaired Minors At Kolkata Shelter Home

The Kolkata police arrested two people, including the founder-director of a school-shelter home in the city for allegedly raping at least three visually challenged girls for over 10 years.

A former cook and the principal of the institution were also held, as they were aware of the crime but failed to report it.

Minors Raped At Kolkata Shelter Home

The West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights (WBCPCR) said that the matter came to light after a 20-year-old survivor opened up to an NGO volunteer who was visiting the shelter home. The volunteer approached the commission on Tuesday.

WBCPCR chairperson Sudeshna Roy said that after a counselling session, three other inmates revealed that they were raped when they were minors. One of them is a 20-year-old girl now, and she has been raped since the age of 10. The two other women were raped several times over the past five years. She added that the other inmates were being counselled, and there are likely more cases to be revealed.

Roy said that the institute housed more than 70 inmates, all of whom were visually impaired and belonged to economically weaker families.

Based on the complaint to the three survivors, one of whom is still a minor, the police have registered an FIR under sections 54 (assault or criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 376 (punishment for rape) of the Indian Penal Code and under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act against founder-director Jabesh Dutta (66) and former cook Bablu Kundu (55).

A police officer who chose to remain anonymous stated that they had arrested Dutta and Kundu. The principal of the institute, Kaberi Das, was also arrested for failing to report the crime despite being aware of it.

The officer also said that police were checking whether the home had legal resistance and was functioning regularly. People familiar with the issue disclosed that Kindu was recently removed from the shelter home by Dutta and Das in February.

Suggested Reading: 14 Bodies Found Buried In Home Of Killer Who Lured Sex Workers