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The licence and registration of children’s home Grace Happy Home Trust at Kottaipalayam in Coimbatore district were cancelled after its officer in-charge was arrested for beating an inmate with belt. Officials in the know of the development said that the Department of Children Welfare and Special Services initiated the action after the home’s officer in-charge S. Selvaraj, 60, was arrested on Thursday. As the licence and registration were cancelled due to the ill-treatment meted out to an inmate by a person from managerial position, the home cannot apply for registration or licence further, an official clarified. “There were nine inmates in the children’s home. All of them were rescued and shifted to two other homes in the district on Thursday itself. The home, which was functioning in a rented house, became defunct from the moment the children were rescued and shifted to other facilities due to the cruelty by the officer in-charge,” the official said. According to officials, the children’s home had been functioning for about 10 years and its licence, which is valid for five years, had been renewed in 2022. Selvaraj and his wife S. Nirmala, 58, had been running the home with the latter as the managing trustee. The District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) conducted an inquiry on Thursday after two videos, which showed Selvaraj beating an eight-year-old inmate with a belt, emerged. The inquiry found that the incident took place on August 8. The Kovilpalayam police registered a case against Selvaraj and Nirmala based on a complaint from a Protection Officer from DCPU. An officer from Kovilpalayam police said they were on the lookout for Nirmala.
