Agali, Sunday 27 June 2010: Agali police on Sunday registered a case against two members of Christian Missionary, working as counselors in Karunyashramam here for sexual harassment based on a complaint by five girls who had run away from here.

Case has been registered against Patrick and Joshi, natives of Kochi. Police affirmed that they have been charged with attempt to sexual harassment. The case has been registered according to the indication given by the girls.

Earlier report

Five girl inmates aged between 16 and 23 years were reportedly physically and mentally harassed at an ashram run by a Trust in Agali. The five girls from Ernakulam and its suburbs had been lodged at the ashram in Agali by their parents for counselling.

The girls told the Railway Protection Force at the Palakkad junction railway station, that they had escaped from the ashram at 4 a.m. and reached Coimbatore. From there they came to the Palakkad station.

However, though they planned to board a train to Ernakulam, since they had no money they were waiting at the Palakkad junction. The RPF personnel who spotted them around 11 a.m. questioned them when they disclosed the details.

Their parents had lodged them two months ago at the ashram for one year but they decided to escape owing to the harassment. One of the girls aged 16 is in the eighth standard, two aged 18 are studying in Plus- Two and two are 23, one of them doing BCom and the other MBA.

There were totally 50 children at the ashram, including street children who have been rehabilitated. The girls were taken to the Agali police station in Attappadi. The parents of the girls reached the Agali police station by evening.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Rajpal Meena said that the girls would be taken to the ashram for further inquiries and a case would also be registered at the Agali police station.