83 girls moved out of home after charges of physical abuse in Trichy

Trichy: Eighty-three girls from the Annai Ashram, a govt-aided home, near the Trichy airport were transferred following allegations that caretakers had physically and verbally abused the children and showed negligence in their health. The govt has also suspended subsidies for the facility.The girls were transferred to Annai Sathya Home in Mathur and Nagammai Children's Home in KK Nagar on Saturday night. Officials said during a routine inspection to the home recently, the district administration found a girl unwell. The child complained of negligence. Subsequently, district collector V Saravanan ordered an inquiry, which was carried out for two days.While the management of the institution claimed that the transfer of children was carried out for "administrative reasons", a senior district official said preliminary investigations revealed that the management had verbally and physically abused the children and had been negligent in providing medical care. "Even after warnings and notices, the staff continued to threaten the children for speaking out. Hence, the children were moved to other homes. Until the management changes its staff, children will not be shifted back and govt subsidies will remain suspended," the official told TOI. Another source who was part of the inquiry told TOI that no police complaint has been filed yet. "For now, many of the children have examinations, and we want them to concentrate on their studies," the source added.There are 14 homes across Trichy that house children under the age of 18 who are orphans, faced neglect, abuse or abandonment.