Police Probe Abuse Claims at Kandivali West ‘Swagat Ashram’

Investigators from Mumbai police have opened a probe into allegations of systematic abuse at the Swagat Ashram shelter located in Kandivali West. The probe was initiated after an 11‑year‑old resident and his 14‑year‑old cousin reported a violent episode involving the shelter’s caretaker, 21‑year‑old Rajesh Kumar.

The boys recounted that on June 8, after completing a night‑shift water‑carrying task around 5 a.m., they intended to return to sleep before the 6 a.m. kitchen duties. Fatigue prevented them from waking on time, prompting Kumar to allegedly throw a bottle at one of them, strike the younger child’s back repeatedly, seize his neck, and slap his face.

Following the incident, the youths fled the premises, took a short‑haul train from Kandivali to Dadar, and sought assistance from a vegetable seller who lent them a small sum of money. Railway police, alerted by a passerby who observed the boys loitering on platform 13, rescued them and placed them in protective custody.

Medical examinations confirmed injuries consistent with the boys’ accounts. The shelter’s management was notified, and the children were relocated to a government‑approved child home. Acting on recommendations from the Mumbai City Child Welfare Committee, police have formally charged Kumar with assault and have begun a broader inquiry into the shelter’s operational practices.