Ajmer Sex Scandal Case: Ajmer of Rajasthan is famous all over the world because of the Dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan Chishti and Pushkar Temple. Something happened in the atmosphere of this religious city from 1990 to 1992, which not only tarnished the Ganga-Jamuni culture but also became an infamous stain on the social fabric of Ajmer. At that time, a news was published in a local daily Navjyoti newspaper which shook everyone.
sex racket busted
In this news, sexual exploitation of schoolgirls by blackmailing them through obscene pictures of them was exposed. The news published with the title “Daughters of big people become victims of blackmail” created a stir as soon as the newspaper reached the hands of readers. Be it the leaders, the police, the administration, the government or people associated with social and religious municipal service organizations, everyone was terrified. How did this happen? Who are they? With whom did it happen?
Sexual harassment of girls from girls school
After this, it was revealed that a gang kept calling and raping girls studying in Girls School Sophia, Ajmer, at farm houses and the families of those girls did not even have a clue. Daughters of IAS and IPS were also included among the raped girls. This entire incident was carried out by blackmailing through obscene pictures. The number of victimized girls was said to be more than 100. The age of these girls was between 17 to 20 years.
This is how this dreadful sex scandal started
In the beginning of this scandal, a person named Farooq Chishti first implicated a girl from Sophia School. Raped her. During this he took obscene pictures of her. After this he started blackmailing her through these obscene pictures. Started asking her to seduce other girls in the school. The girl was forced to take her friends also to the farm house. The game of rape and blackmail continued with all of them.
Used to take pictures during rape
One after the other, second after the third, in this way more than a hundred girls from the same school were raped. This wood was taken to the farm houses in front of the eyes of the family members. Vehicles used to come regularly to pick them up. She would even leave me at home. Photographs were taken of girls while they were raped. After this, more girls would be called by intimidation. Politicians, police and officials were also involved in raping these school girls.
Farooq Chishti was the leader of the racket
The mastermind of this sex scandal was Farooq Chishti. Nafees Chishti and Anwar Chishti were also included with him. All three were Youth Congress leaders. Farooq was on the post of president. These people also had access to the servants of the Dargah. Due to access to servants, the rapists had both political and religious power. The girls who were raped were mostly from Hindu families. Most of the rapists were from the Muslim community. Because of this the police were afraid.
Police got scared to avoid communal riots
Despite knowing about this incident, the police was not taking action. He was afraid that communal riots might break out and it might become difficult to handle. Gradually the whole city came to know about this scandal. Obscene pictures of girls started floating in the air. Whoever got the chance would have washed his hands. He would blackmail the girls and rape them. Even the technician who developed the photo from the negative got involved.
6-7 girls had committed suicide
Seeing their disrespect in the society, the girls started committing suicide one by one. He understood that the only way out of this hell was to end his life. Because even the family, society, police and administration were not doing anything. In this way, after the suicide of 6-7 girls, the matter became serious. Meanwhile, Santosh Gupta, a journalist of Dainik Navjyoti, started a series on this case. Their news started putting pressure on the police and administration.
The newspaper’s revelations had exposed
Journalist Santosh Gupta published the second news titled “How did those who blackmailed girl students remain free?” Along with the news, obscene pictures of girls were also published so that the sexual exploitation of girl students could be seen with open eyes. After this, it seemed as if a storm swept across Rajasthan. The third news was published with the title “CID had given information five months ago!” In the fourth news, the State Home Minister’s statement came, “He had seen obscene photographs only one and a half months ago.” What happened after this was that the public took to the streets and announced Ajmer bandh. There was huge pressure on the government and administration.
Police played games to suppress sex scandal
Vigilant organizations of the city became active to punish the criminals. The whole game of sexual exploitation of school girls was being carried out in a planned manner in the city by the influential youth of the Muslim community along with Hindu girls. Organizations like Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Shiv Sena, Bajrang Dal raised their fists regarding this. The then Chief Minister of Rajasthan Bhairo Singh Shekhawat was informed about this matter. He asked to take action.
attempt to suppress the case
After this, the then Deputy Superintendent Hariprasad Sharma was first given a verbal order and asked to conduct a confidential investigation into the matter. After the revelations made in the confidential investigation, the district administration was in shock. After this the process of suppressing this matter was started. The then Inspector General of Police Omendra Bhardwaj, in a formal press conference, termed this sex scandal as false. He even raised questions on the character of the four girls.
The investigation was handed over to CID CB
After the statement of the Inspector General of Police became headlines in the newspapers, movements started not only in Ajmer but throughout Rajasthan. This sex scandal started being discussed in the entire country. Finally, amidst all-round pressure, on May 30, 1992, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat handed over the case to CID CB. After this, Ajmer Police also registered a report in this matter. The very next day, senior IPS officer NK Patni reached Ajmer with his entire team.
Accused caught after entry of CID CB
Investigation of this case started from 31 May 1992. In this investigation, City President of Youth Congress and Dargah’s Khadim Chishti family Farooq Chishti, Vice President Nafees Chishti, Joint Secretary Anwar Chishti, close relatives of former Congress MLA Almas Maharaj, Ishrat Ali, Iqbal Khan, Salim, Zameer, Sohail Ghani, Puttan. The names of criminals named Allahabadi, Naseem Ahmed alias Tarzan, Pravez Ansari, Mohibullah alias Maradona, Kailash Soni, Mahesh Ludhani, Purushottam alias John Wesley alias Babna and Harish Tolani were revealed. Harish Tolani, included in these, used to be the manager of Ajmer Color Lab.
The local court had given life imprisonment to eight people
After this, after identifying the accused from the victim girls, the police arrested eight of them. In 1994, one of the accused, Purushottam, committed suicide after coming out of jail on bail. The first decision of this case came after six years, in which the Ajmer court sentenced eight people to life imprisonment. Meanwhile, Farooq Chishti lost his mental balance. Because of that his trial became pending.
An accused was caught after 19 years
After some time, the court reduced the punishment of four accused. Instead of life imprisonment, he was given a sentence of ten years in jail. After this, the Rajasthan government challenged this order in the Supreme Court. But the Supreme Court rejected it. After 19 years of this incident, one of the accused Salim Nafees was caught by the police in the year 2012, but he was also released on bail. Went. Many victims were waiting for justice in the country’s biggest sex scandal.
Now 6 criminals convicted
The remaining 6 accused in the Ajmer gang rape and blackmail case that took place 32 years ago have been found guilty by the Special POCSO Court. On Tuesday, the court sentenced the culprits to life imprisonment. Convicts Nafees Chishti, Naseem alias Tarzan, Salim Chishti, Sohil Gani, Syed Zameer Hussain have reached the court, while Iqbal Bhati is being brought from Delhi. In the year 1992, there were 18 accused in the gang rape and blackmailing case of more than 100 school and college girls. 9 have been sentenced. One accused is in jail in another case. One has committed suicide and one is currently absconding. The court has sentenced the remaining 6 convicts to life imprisonment.