Ashraya Orphanage raided, 16 children shifted

Ashraya Orphanage raided, 16 children shifted

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, April 6: The Woman and Child Welfare Department conducted a raid on Ashraya, an orphanage belonging to Lancelot Pinto, the Mangalore City Corporation (MCC) opposition leader, located at Anegundi in Bejai. They rescued a group of 16 children, who were staying at the orphanage and sent 10 of them to Prajna Counselling Centre and 3 to an orphanage in Kuttar. One of the kids chose to go home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Reportedly, Arjun, the parents of one of the kids, had arrived to take a group of 8 kids for a visit to their native place. A group of Bajrang Dal activists spotted them at the PVS bus stand and concluded that they were being illegally taken for forcible conversion. They lodged a complaint at the Urwa Police Station against the owner of the orphanage. When the police investigated the case, they found that Mr. Pinto was running the orphanage without any documents and referred the case to the Woman and Child Welfare Department. Accordingly, the department raided the orphanage and rescued the children.

When the person was booking tickets for the bus, they were not allowed to go by persons alleged to be Bajrang members, as per Lancelot Pinto. Gangadhar of child welfare department and Asha Nayak of child welfare committee arrived at the spot. Later, deputy director of women and child welfare department, Shakuntala, Asha Nayak and other members visited the ashram at Bejai along with the complainants.

 

Confirming that Mr. Pinto has not taken any permission to run an orphanage, Ms. Asha Nayak of the Woman and Child Welfare Department said that no case of forcible conversion or sexual harassment has been reported so far.

The police have confirmed that there is no FIR against Mr. Pinto, but only certain allegations that have been leveled against him.