Women’ home resembles inferno: Minister to suspend chief

The missing of an inmate from the women’s home in Malda under the social welfare department has bared its inferno like state and the inhuman environment amidst which 26 inmates mostly minor are spending the days under inexplicable agony. The state women and child and social welfare minister Sabitri Mitra was speechless seeing the abominable condition of the home during her visit after learning from sources that the missing girl might have been fallen a prey of trafficking.
It was seen that all the inmates were accommodated in a single room. There was no adequate cot nor did the cots have at least a bed sheet. The helpless inmates are compelled to lie on the bare cots. The inmates of different ages have been put together without paying least heed to the psychological effect. Even the mentally challenged inmates are put with the other inmates and those poor girls receive no special care from the home authorities as was visible during the minister’s visit.
They were made sit like cows on the bare cots before the minister decided to visit the home. Their mute faces were expressive of mixed feelings fear and helplessness, agony and emptiness. It was hard to believe that the socially abused or immorally trafficked women could be accommodated in such a mean environment. “Instead of providing solace, such an environment would rather perish their mental state further,” said Dr C Roy, a psychiatrist.
“We are subjected to all sorts of torture here. We are beaten so brutally that we have lost the words to protest,” said Sunita (name changed) a Hindi speaking inmate aged around 15 years. While Sunita was narrating before Bengal Newz the tortures incurred upon them allegedly by the super of the home, another minor inmate was reminding her by pinching about the probable dire consequence.
Rama Ghoshal (name changed) said: “I cannot tell you who torture us here but once you leave, our agony would be doubled and we would be beaten from pillar to post for yawning our mouths.” Rama was visibly fumbling while her friends sat bowing their faces.
Another inmate whispered: “We are served scanty amount of food and if we protest, they would tease us initially and later the torture would begin. In the same breath she said: “The super of the home punishes us physically if we protest against her dictatorship.”
A former employee, who was removed by the super of the home said on the condition of anonymity: “I apprehend the some of the inmates were forced to indulge in flesh trade.” “The super receives salary for her job and collects rent as the home is lodged at her building,” she said.
The entire scenario prevailed in the home was enough for any person with minimum intelligence the abhorrent state of the inmates. In response of the minister’s pertinent question, the accused super was trying to hide her faults feebly and thereby exposing herself all the more. Minister Sabitri Mitra said: “I have understood everything and I would take stern action against the home authorities including suspension after I go Kolkata.