Partial counselling for Ulhasnagar minors

Mumbai: Two Ulhasnagar minors - who were publicly beaten up and humiliated on May 21 for allegedly stealing toffees and snacks from a shopkeeper and his two sons – have been able to only partially avail counselling as promised to them by the state child welfare department.

Following the incident, the women and child welfare department secretary, A.N. Tripathi, had assured that a counsellor would hold a 25-day session with the minors and towards this, the duo had been kept in a children’s shelter. However, the two kids, aged 10 and eight years, returned from the shelter barely a day after the beginning of counselling and though the counsellor visited their home for two days thereafter, that was the end of it. Family sources said that since the children were scared, their mother took them home with the counsellor’s permission and an assurance that he would visit their home. However, he only visited them once. Meanwhile, government officials are mum on the issue. The mother said, “We were assured that we would get hostel admission for my children in a Kurla-based school but I don’t know whether that will happen.”