Total 57 inmates of a government-run shelter home in Kanpur have tested positive for the novel coronavirus pandemic. They have been put under quarantine now and are being treated.
Most of these inmates are asymptomatic. However, the Kanpur administration has knocked off reports claiming that the minor girls in local shelter home were found to be pregnant after they tested Covid-19 positive.
Shelter home to be sanitised
The shelter home will reportedly be sanitised on Monday, June 22.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kanpur, Dinesh Kumar P told news agency IANS that the seven girls who are pregnant, were already pregnant when they were rescued and brought to the shelter home in Swaroop Nagar.
"These girls are from Agra, Kannauj, Etah, Firozabad and Kanpur and were brought here six months ago when they were already two-month pregnant. Five of these seven girls have tested positive for corona," the SSP said.
Meanwhile, two of the other pregnant girls have been referred to the Hallett hospital after one of them was found to be HIV positive and the other was infected with Hepatitis C.
The girls were reportedly brought to the shelter home from various districts in accordance with the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and were pregnant before they were housed there.
District Magistrate Brahma Dev Tiwari slammed a section of media for attempting to sensationalise the issue by distorting facts.
Meanwhile, Poonam Kapoor, a member of the UP State Women's Commission, told the media the girls were probably infected with corona after shelter home staff visited a Kanpur hospital with two girls and came into contact with coronavirus patients.
However, an investigation will be carried out if any officer or employee is found to be at fault in the matter.
(With agency inputs)
