Girls' auctioning row in Bhilwara: Rajasthan Police strict towards atrocities against women, says DGP

Bhilwara: After reports of girls being auctioned on stamp papers in Bhilwara surfaced, Rajasthan Director General of Police (DGP) ML Lather said that the state police is strict towards atrocities against women. "Rajasthan Police is strict towards atrocities against women. The media has been told about two victim girls and a case was registered in the year 2019 in relation to the incident with both the girls," he said.

The DCP further added that a case was registered in Hanuman Nagar police station of the district under various sections of IPC, POCSO Act, JJ Act and IT Act.

"In the year 2019, Operation Gudiya was run in the Bhilwara district in connection with the purchase and sale of girls," he said.

Earlier on October 29, the chairperson of the Rajasthan State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Sangeeta Beniwal, held a meeting at the Collectorate in Bhilwara following reports of girls being auctioned on stamp papers in the area. The District Collector, Superintendent of Police, and other officials were present at the meeting.

"I came to know from DSP and Collector that this case is from 2019. At that time, police presented a challan of 25 people in court. Out of 6 girls, 4 have been rehabilitated & 2 are in girls` homes as they`re from other states. I`ll reach them soon and get complete information," said RSCPCR chief, Sangeeta Beniwal.

Earlier, Rajasthan, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that the Congress party had exposed such cases which had been happening during the previous regime of the BJP in the state.

"The incident happened in 2005 when the BJP was in power. In 2019, we came and exposed it. 21 accused were arrested, three died and one is absconding. Two children died, and the rest went to their homes. It was turned into national news," Gehlot said while addressing a press conference here.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the National Commission for Women (NCW), the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and the Rajasthan State Commission for Women (RSCW) have all sought reports into the allegations.

Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Chief Swati Maliwal had also written to Gehlot seeking action against the culprits for auctioning girls on stamp papers to settle disputes over loan repayments in the Bhilwara district of Rajasthan.

"It is reported in the newspaper that girls as young as 8-year-old are being openly auctioned on stamp paper in over half a dozen districts of the state. The report has stated that whenever there is a dispute between two parties particularly involving financial transactions and loans, people approach caste-based panchayats to settle the matter," the DCW chief wrote.

"These panchayats settle financial disputes and recover the money by auctioning young girls belonging to the lender families. The girls are then sent to Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Mumbai, Delhi, and even abroad and subjected to physical abuse, torture, and sexual assault. If the families refuse to sell their girls, their mothers are subjected to rape on the diktats of the local caste panchayats!," Maliwal`s letter read.