Patna: Three weeks after a 13-year-old hearing- and speech-impaired victim of the Muzaffarpur shelter home went missing from another such facility in Madhubani, police are still clueless about her whereabouts.
Fourteen of the 46 minor girls from Muzaffarpur were shifted to another ‘Balika Grih’ in Madhubani on May 30 after a Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) report mentioned brutal sexual exploitation of inmates.
However, on July 12, one of the girls was reported missing by NGO Parihar Seva Sansthan, which is responsible for running the government-sponsored facility, and an FIR was lodged.
Sub-inspector SN Vidyakar told News18 that according to the FIR, the girl “woke up at 4 in the morning, stepped out of her room and went near the boundary wall. She then climbed a tree and jumped to the other side”.
When asked about the presence of security guards and other staff, Vidyakar said it was not in the purview of their probe at present as they were focusing on tracing the girl. “She can’t speak. That adds to the problem. Nobody knows her actual address,” he added.
The minor’s disappearance has given ammunition to the Opposition, which alleged foul play as the girl is a ‘key witness’ against prime accused Brajesh Thakur. Jan Adhikar Party leader Pappu Yadav and his Congress MP wife Ranjeet Ranjan also raised the issue in the Lok Sabha.
However, on Monday, DGP KS Dwivedi denied that the 13-year-old was a witness in the case. “Remember, she can’t speak. She has not given any statement earlier,” he added.
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