Published 13:50 IST, June 22nd 2020
Akhilesh Yadav demands probe as 57 Kanpur shelter home girls Covid-positive; 7 pregnant
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday demanded an immediate probe into the alleged abuse of minor girls in the state-run shelter home in UP's Kanpur.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday demanded an immediate probe into the shocking finding in the state-run shelter home in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur wherein 57 girls tested COVID-19 positive, of which 5 are pregnant, while 2 more non-Covid girls are pregnant as well and two have tested positive for HIV and Hepatitis-C respectively. Taking to Twitter, the SP chief further mentioned that a wide outrage has spread in the state due to the news from the Government Child Protection Home of Kanpur.
He wrote, "There has been serious disclosure of some minor girls getting pregnant. Of these, 57 have been found to be affected by Corona and one with AIDS. They should be treated immediately. The government should immediately investigate into the abuse of the minor girls"
The DM of Kanpur, in his statement, however, said that all the seven girls were pregnant when they were brought in.
Kanpur Shelter Home incident
In a shocking development, 57 girls from a state-run shelter home in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday. According to sources, five girls from the shelter home are also found to be pregnant. Further, while one girl has tested HIV positive, another is tested positive for Hepatitis C. Sources reported that two other girls are also found to be pregnant, but have tested negative for COVID-19.
Meanwhile, according to Kanpur District Magistrate, while two girls are undergoing treatment at the LLP Hospital in the district, three girls are undergoing treatment at a private hospital. The DM on Sunday while speaking to the media stated that the five pregnant girls were referred to them by the Child Welfare Committees of Agra, Etah, Kannauj, Firozabad, and Kanpur under the POCSO Act. All the seven girls were pregnant at the time they came to the shelter, he said, as mentioned above.
COVID-19 in UP
According to the Union Health Ministry, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Uttar Pradesh stands at 17,731, out of which 6,186 are active cases. On Sunday, the COVID-19 death toll in UP increased to 550 after 21 fatalities were reported. Out of the 21 COVID-19 deaths, three took place in Kanpur Nagar, two each in Meerut, Moradabad, Gorakhpur, and Etawah, and one each in Ghaziabad, Hapur, Siddharthanagar, Bijnor, Mathura, Muzaffarnagar, Rae Bareli, Badaun, Jhansi and Farrukhabad. Meanwhile, as many as 10,995 COVID-19 patients have recovered from the infection.
Updated 19:00 IST, June 22nd 2020