Dehradun: The two-storeyed building of a shelter home for juveniles which looks just like any other house in the busy lane in Kedarpuram is in fact a house of horror. Inside the house are terrified children aged 1 to 10, facing cruelty at the hands of the shelter staff. When a 7-year-old kid recounted her horror tale to Uttarakhand minister of social welfare department Yashpal Arya, the minister was deeply "distressed", according to a report carried in TOI.

The girl told the minister how an angry attendant had poured boiling water on her legs. That was not it, the girl was even denied treatment as they the officials didn’t want the story to come out. The girl developed a limp because of the wounds. "I asked her how did she get burn injuries on her legs. Her reply left me distressed. Legal action will be taken against those responsible," the minister said.

Sunita Singh, superintendent of the child wing at the shelter home, confirmed the identity of the caretaker who had caused trouble. The social welfare minister was visiting the shelter home a day after Uttarakhand police formed a special investigation team on Monday to probe cases of cruelty against minors at the institution. "The condition of the shelter home is appalling... I will ensure that this place is made more child-friendly," TOI quoted the minister as saying.

A case has been registered under Section 75 of Juvenile Justice Act with the Nehru Colony Police station against eight shelter home employees and an SIT has been formed to investigate the matter.