Assault in elderly shelter

TT, Gangtok, July 5: Police have arrested a volunteer of an old age home near Ranipool on the charge of assaulting six elderly persons while he was allegedly in a drunken state.

The incident occurred on July 3 around 8pm in the shelter home, 13km from here.

The home provides shelter to elderly persons who do not have anyone to look after them at home.

Pravesh Bhattarai, 24, was arrested after a complaint was lodged by a woman employee of the home.

Bhhatarai was working in the old age home as a volunteer since April.

"We received information that the man in an intoxicated condition manhandled the elderly people on Sunday night. Next day, when the inmates told this to staff members, one of them lodged the police complaint. He (Bhattarai) had beaten up the old people with a belt," said the inspector in charge of Ranipool police station, Sabitri Pradhan.

The shelter home, which was established in 2012, has 19 elderly people. It is run by a trust and also gets an annual grant from the social welfare department.

"The man manhandled the elderly persons on previous occasions also. We are investigating the matter," said a police source. He has also been accused of molesting a woman inmate. Bhattarai has been booked for voluntarily causing hurt and assault on a woman to outrage her modesty.

He has been taken into three days' police remand.

President of the trust Laxmi Sharma said she was not present at the shelter when the incident happened. "I was out of station for some work. I came to know about the incident yesterday from the police," Sharma said.