#WATCH: Union Minister Maneka Gandhi says, "Yeh jo Muzaffarpur aur Deoria main hua hai, ussey hum log chakit bhi ha… https://t.co/iED4KAjFgL — ANI (@ANI) 1533552609000

NEW DELHI: Union minister for women and child development Maneka Gandhi on Monday said that she is afraid that there could be "many more" shelter homes, similar to the ones in Deoria and Muzaffarpur , where inmates are being subjected to abuse and harassment."It’s not only frightening, it makes me sad. I know there will be many more because, for years and years, we have paid no attention, apart from giving them money," she was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.Two back-to-back incidents of abuse in shelter homes have left the country startled and raised questions over the security of inmates in these institutions. Today, twenty-four girls were rescued from a shelter home in Uttar Pradesh's Deoria over allegations of abuse. A similar incident was reported from a shelter home in Bihar's Muzaffarpur last month.She said the adoption and skill development programmes in a central facility would be much easier and it would also help in checking "abuse and misuse" by NGOs who are running their own shelter homes with grants from the government."I have been asking for a scheme where each state should have a single large facility to house all such girls and children which should be run by the state government," she said.Other homes in the state should only provide temporary shelter to women, girls and children in distress situations and after clearance by the Child Welfare Committee, Gandhi said.The Union minister also asked the MPs to visit all shelter home in their respective constituencies and submit a report to her ministry. "I'll take immediate action," she assured.Today, 24 girls were rescued from a shelter home in Deoria after allegations of sexual exploitation of the inmates came to light, prompting the Uttar Pradesh government to swing into a damage control mode by removing the district magistrate and ordering a high-level probe.Police said three people, including a couple who ran the shelter, were arrested in connection with the matter."Twenty-four girls were rescued yesterday from the shelter home at station road in the name of Ma Vindhyawasini Mahila Prashikshan Evam Samaj Sewa Sansthan, which has 42 inmates. Eighteen inmates are still missing. We have sealed it," Superintendent of Police Rohan P Kanay said in Deoria.Taking a serious note of the matter, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ordered an immediate removal of Deoria District Magistrate Sujit Kumar, UP Minister for Women and Child Welfare Rita Bahuguna Joshi told reporters in Lucknow.Last month, a similar incident had come to light when the Bihar Social Welfare Department filed an FIR based on a social audit of the shelter home conducted by a Mumbai-based institute.The audit report stated that many girls at the shelter home had complained of sexual abuse. A special investigation team was formed to probe the complaints.The NGO running the shelter home in Muzaffarpur was blacklisted and the girls were shifted to shelter homes in Patna and Madhubani.Women staff members of the shelter home and Brajesh Thakur, who ran the NGO, were among those who were arrested by the local police in connection with the case.(With inputs from agencies)