Jaipur: In a landmark decision, a POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) court has sentenced six men to life imprisonment for their roles in the notorious Ajmer rape scandal from the early 1990s. The court, led by Judge Ranjan Singh, has also imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on each convicted individual.
The convicted individuals are Nafees Chishti, Naseem alias Tarzan, Salim Chishti, Iqbal Bhati, Sohail Gani, and Sayed Zameer Hussain. These men were found guilty of their involvement in the heinous crime. Notably, Iqbal Bhati was transported to Ajmer from Delhi under police escort.
The scandal, which emerged in 1992, involved a gang that targeted over 100 young girls. The perpetrators befriended their victims, took compromising photographs, and then used these images to blackmail and rape the girls. The victims, aged between 11 and 20, were students from a well-known private school in Ajmer. They were lured to a farmhouse where the assaults took place.
Of the 18 people originally accused, this trial focused on the six individuals sentenced. The remaining accused have either served their sentences or been acquitted.
How the scandal was exposed? ...... The scandal, first revealed by a local newspaper, implicated influential individuals from religious, political, social, and economic spheres.
The Ajmer District Police investigation uncovered the involvement of affluent young men connected to the Khadims, caretakers of the revered Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan Chishti's dargah. Suspicion also fell on high-ranking politicians and officials, sparking widespread outrage and fear.
Initially, authorities hesitated to act, fearing unrest and pressure from influential figures. However, public anger intensified after a news article published explicit photographs, prompting protests across the state. Hindu organisations threatened to take matters into their own hands if the perpetrators weren't brought to justice.
Under mounting pressure, the Ajmer District Bar Association intervened, recommending the detention of suspects under the National Security Act to prevent communal tensions. The investigation was eventually transferred to the CID CB, promising a thorough probe into the scandal.
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