Child Protection official in trouble for engaging minor as domestic help

Bhubaneswar: An eight-year-old girl, who was allegedly working as a domestic help in the house of Anuradha Nayak, an official at Angul District Child Protection Unit (DCPU), was rescued from the Bhubaneswar Railway Station here last night. Nayak works as a Protection Officer (Institutional Care) at the Angul DCPU.

As per sources, Child Line and GRP officials rescued the minor girl from the railway station while she was returning to work at Nayak's house after a few days of leave. She was later handed over to the Child Welfare Committee, Khurda.

It is alleged that the minor girl, a resident of Prasanti Vihar under Infocity  police limits here, has been engaged in various household chores and babysitting at the DCPO's house in Angul for the past several months. The girl also alleged that she used to be beaten up by the woman on several occasions for being inefficient at work.

After rescuing the girl, Child Line officials lodged a complaint at the Infocity Police Station here today seeking a probe into the matter and necessary action against the accused as per law.

The minor is currently lodged at the VJSS open shelter here, sources added.

Despite several attempts, the child protection official was unavailable to comment on the matter.