Exploitation, illegalities breed in ashrams
The word 'Ashram' has a very deep meaning in Indian languages since the word indicates the philosophical and spiritual bond that one shares with the space. The place where saints and monks live, is called Ashram. But in today’s India, schools and colleges host varied types of ashrams. The ones that have mushroomed in the country host a variety of people too like orphans, aged ones, poor people, dalits etc. The most disheartening part is that, they have long ago lost their significance to their name and the works they engage in. They are just places that are set up to save taxes and may be even hoodwink people.
Some months ago, a few ashrams run by self-styled godmen and saints were raided and some gory details of women getting sexually exploited was discovered. Hundreds of women were being used as sex machines in another godman’s ashram. Though these incidents have been happening in all sorts of ashrams since long time, no government made up its mind to tackle this heinous crime with some stringent policies. Because if this is to be done, the government will have to bear the ire of thousands of such spiritual gurus, both original and fake. Many politicians are at their beck and call, so something revolutionary like this may not even happen.
The team of TISS or Tata Institute of Social Sciences exposed the sexual exploitation that was continuing unabated in CCI orphanage in Muzaffarpur. Among the 42 residents, 34 children and underage girls in age groups of 7 to 17 years were being sexually and physically exploited for years at CCI and affiliated orphanages. The report mentioned the situation at such shelter homes was so gory that those places were unfit for human existence. Shelter homes barely promised any minimum freedom to their inhabitants. The seven of the accused caregivers who connived with wrong doers in the incident happen to be women.
A girl, barely of 10 years age, ran away from Deora CCI in UP and exposed the sexual exploitation that took place there. The world was shocked to hear the details of this as well. Once a complaint was filed, the fact that this was an illegal organization and had no necessary permissions came to light. About 18 girls have gone missing from this place.
There is no dearth of law to stop such crimes from happening. But since the implementation is poor, such inhuman incidents take place time and again. The invigilation task forces are yet to be formed.
According to 2005 Act, all CCIs have to enroll themselves with the government. Every district needs to have a Child Protection Officer. A committee for child welfare and justice has to be set up. All such policies have failed before the money numerous CCIs have been able to feed the corrupt officers who have failed in invigilating the said organisations.
According to the survey conducted by NCPCR, about 32% of CCIs are not registered under policy guidelines of 2015 and the other 33% CCIs are not monitored by any authority either. Women and Children’s Department has been entrusted with the responsibility of allocating funds under comprehensive child protection scheme and conduct a social audit to avoid misappropriation of funds. Hence either none conducted an inquiry or audited the CCIs or has been maintaining a guided silence over the whole gory episode for a cost.
Now, NCPCR has directed all states that a social audit has to be carried out in all CCIs. This step is coming a bit too late after many lives have been silenced or affected owing to the inaction of such committees. With this, we may be witnessing more such incidents coming into broad day light. Not only private ashrams, but also those run by government or even with the aid of government may have been breeding place for such heinous crimes. Since children and girls who are in such shelter homes belong to very poor families or have no other place to go, they are unable to voice their miseries against this because the high and mighty with all economic and political backup are party to such instances.
Supreme Court has expressed its anguish over Muzzafarpur shelter home incident. According to NCPCR there are more than 1,515 children in CCIs that have been already subjected to various sexual crimes. Even if they got another chance with life, they are undergoing the same misery in shelter homes too. Hence the government has to initiate stringent action against people who have been party to such an inhuman crime. But the responsibility of the government does not end there. It must ensure the women and children living in such places have access to better living conditions and this has to be constantly monitored.
Many a times women and children live under most inhuman conditions being subject to such gruesome exploitation physically and sexually. They have no opportunity to register their opinion in the policies that are made for their protection. Their future is tied to the vision of the government and its officers. If their lives have to see better days, we must understand that though they live at the mercy of the government, they deserve a better chance with their future and a life of dignity. More than anything else, they have to be considered as equal partners with the society and its inhabitants.
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Jharkhand horror: Man kills live-in partner, chops body into 40 pieces
Ranchi (PTI): A 25-year-old man, who works as a butcher, allegedly strangled to death his live-in partner and chopped her body into 40 to 50 pieces in a forested area in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Naresh Bhengra, was arrested.
The matter came to light after around a fortnight after the killing when a stray dog was found with human body parts near Jordag village in Jariagarh police station on November 24.
Bhengra was in a live-in relationship with the deceased, a 24-year-old woman also from Khunti district, in Tamil Nadu for the past couple of years. Sometime back, he returned to Jharkhand, got married to another woman without telling his partner anything and went back to the southern state without his wife to join her.
"The brutal incident occurred on November 8 when they reached Khunti as the accused who had married another woman did not wish to take her home. Instead, he took her to a forest near his house at Jordag village in Jariagarh police station and chopped the body into pieces. The man has been arrested," Khunti Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar told PTI.
Inspector Ashok Singh who investigated the case said the man worked in a butcher shop in Tamil Nadu and was expert in slicing chicken.
“He admitted chopping the body parts of the woman into 40 to 50 pieces before leaving those in the forest for wild animals to feast on. The police recovered several parts on November 24 after a dog in the area was seen with a hand," Singh told PTI.
Singh said that the woman, who was unaware of his marriage, pressured him to return to Khunti. After reaching Ranchi, they boarded a train on November 24 and headed to the man's village.
"Under a plan, the man took her to Khunti in an autorickshaw near his home and asked her to wait. He returned with sharp weapons and strangulated her with her dupatta after raping her. He then cut the body into 40 to 50 pieces and left for his home to live with his wife," Singh said.
The woman, however, had informed her mother that she had boarded a train and would be living with her partner, the police officer said.
Following the recovery of body parts, a bag was also found in the forest with the murdered woman's belongings including her Aadhaar card. The mother of the woman was called at the spot and she identified her daughter's belongings.
"The mother suspected the man behind the crime who after being nabbed by the police admitted to chopping the woman into pieces," the official added.
The incident has sent shockwaves among people in the region, with the Shraddha Walker murder case of 2022 still fresh in their memory.
Walker was killed by her live-in partner who chopped her body into pieces before dumping them in the jungle in South Delhi’s Mehrauli.
