Sexually assaulting inmates of Sri Swami Saraswati Seva Ashram’s women’s hostel in Eluru by the husband of the warden was exposed and the police started investigating. About 50 girls are residing here, studying in various educational institutions.
Shashi Kumar, who took over the management of the hostel is working as warden of a government BC Hostel in Yerraguntapalli. He appointed his second wife Manishri as warden and his niece Lavanya as guardian of the girls.
He used to lure the girls who were taking shelter in the hostels in the name of photo shoots. The victims have alleged that he used to take girls to faraway places for photo shoots, where he used to abuse them. He used to beat them also if they were not cooperative with him.
In this order, on Sunday 15th of this month, he picked up a girl in a car and took her to Bapatla, where he raped her and brought her back on 16th Monday night and dropped her in the hostel. During the night the girl was crying while washing her clothes, the rest of the girls asked her. She told them what happened.
At the same time, Sashi Kumar, who came there knowing that the girl had told her friends about what had happened, made all the girls there sit on their knees and beat them badly. Unable to bear the warden’s harassment, three girls went to the Two Town Police Station and complained about the warden.
The situation became tense as relatives and parents of the affected girls also reached the police station. At the police station, the victims broke down in tears saying that he used to torture them in the hostel and assaulted them if they interfered. The victim girls say that dozens of girls were sexually abused.
Eluru DSP Shravan Kumar inspected the hostel and recorded the girls ‘ statements. He said that cases will be registered under the POCSO Act against the accused and his accomplices. At present the accused Sashi Kumar is absconding.