Bhubaneswar, April 17: Rupa, a 21-year-old sex worker from Malisahi, the city?s red-light area, today registered a case against a local NGO with the State Commission for Women (SCW) for allegedly forcing her into flesh trade.

Rupa, who hails from a village in Kandhamal, arrived here last September with her cousin Rita, who was already a sex worker at Malisahi.

Activists of Patita Uddhar Samiti, the NGO, spotted the girl and apparently suggested that Rupa should look for a proper livelihood option. ?They took her along saying she would work in a hostel that shelters children of jail inmates,? said Rita.

Rupa worked in the hostel till December. ?I had to look after the children, take them to school and bring them back,? Rupa said. But when the NGO did not pay her for three months, she decided to quit the job and landed at one of her acquaintances? place in the Saliasahi slums.

When Abharani Chaudhry, president of the samiti, came to know that Rupa was staying in the slums, she advised her to go to Malisahi and earn for herself. ?Abharani suggested that I take up flesh trade to earn money,? alleged Rupa at the SCW office here today.

That was the beginning of life as a sex worker for Rupa.

In a written complaint to the commission, the woman stated that Abharani had asked her to pay Rs 5,000 for ?introducing? her to the ?business?.

Both the women were taken to the commission?s office by Nagamani, the self-acclaimed leader of the Malisahi sex workers.

Abharani, meanwhile, rubbished the allegations. ?I had suggested Rupa to work in the hostel as she had a life ahead. She left the hostel at her own sweet will and I have never suggested anything like joining prostitution,? said Abharani. ?It is a pity that after working for the welfare of sex workers for 10 years, this is the result we get.?

Nagamani and the president of the samiti had not been on the best of terms ever since the State Aids Cell gave the NGO Rs 4 lakh to provide contraceptives and conduct HIV tests for three months at Malisahi. The sex workers have virtually boycotted the samiti members and had been getting the contraceptives from the cell directly. ?We don?t want anybody to work here and misappropriate the funds coming for our cause,? said Nagamani.

?We will hear both sides and come to a conclusion after the necessary inquiry,? said SCW chairperson Namita Panda. (The sex workers? names have been changed)