Controversy raged over reports of auctioning girls in different parts of Rajasthan after the chairperson of the National Commission for Women (NCW) Rekha Sharma charged local police with not cooperating with the panel to investigate such incidents.
"Instead of seriously investigating the startling reports of selling minor girls, higher-ups in Rajasthan Police are brazenly trying to hush up such cases", Sharma told media at Jaipur after visiting different parts of Rajasthan.
The NCW chairperson said that panel has no faith in Rajasthan Police due to the attitude of the higher-ups in the police.
"Racket of trafficking of minor girls from Rajasthan to other parts of the country is going on. The Central Government should constitute a committee or SIT for investigation", she said to reveal the truth.
"I felt there is a big racket here, young girls being pushed into the flesh trade. The administration has to see if these girls were brought here, girls are also being sent out. Every house here has 5-6 young girls. I feel they are not their own", Sharma said after visiting some parts of Rajasthan.
"I feel they've been brought from somewhere. The administration should get a survey and DNA test done. This is a racket to sell off young girls. When I came here in the evening, minor girls were signaling and calling people to them. So, I came with Police here today to check the houses", she said.
NCW chairperson meets senior cops
After visiting different areas of Rajasthan, Rekha Sharma met Smita Shrivastava, ADGP, and Ravi Prakash, ADG to brief them about her findings.
She also expressed worry about a prostitution racket being operational in the region. She added that the administration must look into whether girls are being trafficked to other states or if the girls living in these locations are victims of human trafficking.
She expressed concern about minor girls being trafficked and brought in from outside the state and that the administration urgently needs to conduct a survey and a DNA test to ascertain the truth.
NCW already constituted a two-member fact-finding panel
"The National Commission for Women has come across several media posts wherein it has been reported that girls were auctioned off to settle disputes over loan repayments Bhilwara, Rajasthan", a handout issued by NCW reads.
"It has been further reported that in many settlements of the village, girls are sold for prostitution on stamp paper. In some cases, their mothers are subjected to rape on the diktats of caste panchayats for the settlement of disputes", the panel mentioned.
The Commission has taken cognizance of the reported crime which is extremely appalling and traumatizing. The Commission has constituted a two-member "Fact Finding" team to look into the matter.
Chairperson Rekha Sharma has written to the Chief Secretary, Government of Rajasthan to take urgent action in the matter and apprise the Commission of the action taken.
The Commission has also written to the Director General of Police, Rajasthan to immediately invoke relevant provisions in the FIR and to arrest all the accused at the earliest. A copy of the letter has also been sent to the Superintendent of Police, Bhilwara.
