BHUBANESWAR: Amid allegations of forced religious conversions and sexual exploitation in shelter homes, an initial probe by the Women and Children wing of the Odisha Crime Branch has found that several hostels opened under the banner of ‘Dream Centre Educational Hostel’ are operating without statutory registration in several districts.
Sources said these hostels are also allegedly involved in the conversion of poor SC/ST children and run by one Salgadia Happy and Holy Home Society (SHHHS) using foreign funds. They had come under the scanner following a petition before the DGP.
As per preliminary investigations, the society, reportedly registered under the West Bengal Societies Registration Act of 1961, has its headquarters in WB’s Midnapore district and an administrative office at Phulnakhara near Bhubaneswar. It facilitates education, lodging and fooding to underprivileged children and runs hostels across 15 districts including Balangir, Balasore, Bargarh, Kandhamal, Kalahandi etc.
The district SPs during inquiry found widespread regulatory violations by the organisation. Most hostels were found to be operating without licenses under the Juvenile Justice (JJ) Act, lacking recognition from the district CWCs, DEOs or NCPCR.
The probe in Jharsuguda found the facility lacked basic medical care and sufficient staff, and the living condition was unhygienic. They have a training centre for spiritual development and organise seminars on religious ideology, the report submitted to the DGP stated.
In Kandhamal, the inquiry found that the Society is a foreign-aided organisation and closely associated with Good News India, a known Christian missionary organisation. Reports from Mayurbhanj, Dhenkanal, Ganjam, Gajapati and Balangir confirmed the operation of unregistered hostels. The Mayurbhanj unit was shut down by the sub-collector in December 2024 due to lack of valid documents. In Dhenkanal, the hostel houses 16 SC/ST children, but authorities failed to produce any approval documents.
Similarly in Rourkela, the hostel is reportedly running without any government authorisation on agricultural land, which is not yet converted for residential use. Living conditions of the inmates were found to be unhygienic, with no proper segregation between boys and girls or functional toilets. The hostel authorities in Balasore failed to produce land or building ownership documents.
Reports from some other districts also indicated operational lapses and religious bias in admission procedures. Promoters of the organisation could not be contacted for comment.