Many irregularities found in rape-accused godman's Rajasthan ashram
Jaipur, June 23: Many irregularities were found during the recent visit of the State Women Commission team to the ashram of Daati Maharaj in Pali, its chief said on Saturday.
Rajasthan Women's Commission chairperson Suman Sharma told IANS that all rules and regulations were being breached in the school and colleges being run in the Pali ashram. While the institution's registration has not been renewed since last three years, the records of female students, staying there, fails to give any details as to where these girls belong to, she said.
Sharma also said that there were no records to ascertain the correct number of girls in the ashram, with only names of hundreds of these girls jotted down in a note book.
"Surprisingly, their fathers' name is different in this copy while the affidavit says something else. Also, the age-related information looks fake," she said.
"When my team went to ashram, we met two people - one of whom introduced himself as principal while the other introduced himself as cashier. When they were asked to produce NOC of the Education Department, they had no clue about it. Nothing was clear from records that from where the orphan girls had come and since when are they staying here. The school, college and hostel had no records," said Sharma.
She also said that the ashram's employees were not cooperative.
"The register they showed had poor/incomplete records of enrolment... There were no clues as to when the girls passed out and in which class and in which year. Some unclear handwritten notes were found which showed different records in terms of their native place, father's name and other such details. We were informed that a few girls have gone to their homes on summer education," said Sharma.
"We were informed that there were 151 girls, but our team found 253 girls on the premises. They were tribal girls belonging to Godhra and Udaipur region. They were too scared to talk to our team and gave different versions. At one time, they said they had come to ashram 15 days back, while on the other time, they said it was some 30 days. Their changing versions raised doubts amongst our team members," she added.
Sharma said that subsequently in view of the safety and security of these girls, the Commission had written to the Superintendent of Police requesting him to ensure security of these girls.
A letter was written to the District Collector asking him why no action has been taken to check the records in this ashram, while the Department of Social Justice was asked to to take these girls under their custody.
"We have sent records of our findings to respective departments and are awaiting a reply in next three days after which we will decide our future course of action," Sharma added.
Meanwhile, one of the team members of the commission said that there are chances of human trafficking taking place as no proper records of girls going out and coming into the ashram have been maintained. "However, we will explore this angle later as our present priority is to ensure proper safety of these innocent girls," she added.
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Delhi: Father, son held for killing 19-year-old woman in suspected honour killing
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has arrested a man and his son for allegedly murdering his 19-year-old daughter in west Delhi's Hari Nagar area, an official said on Friday.
The case first came to light on April 1 after a PCR call was received around 2 pm, alleging that a woman had been killed by her family members and her body was being taken for last rites, he said.
The accused, identified as Mohammad Maneer (55), a vegetable vendor, and his son Meraj Ali (19), were arrested in connection with the case, the officer said.
The victim had been in a relationship with a man from her native place for the past two years, which was opposed by her father, Maneer and brother Meraj, he said.
"When the girl did not end the relationship despite objections, the family killed her," the officer said.
On April 1, the police said that when their team reached the spot, they found that the woman's body was being taken for burial.
Acting on the input, the burial process was stopped over suspicion of honour killing.
"Police intercepted the family members and took possession of the body," he said.
Police said that the man who had made the PCR told them that the woman was in love with his cousin.
During the inquiry, police also interacted with the PCR caller, who said his cousin, a friend of the deceased, had informed him about the situation and suspected foul play, prompting him to alert the police control room.
The body of the woman was subsequently shifted to the mortuary of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for preservation and postmortem.
Police said that both the crime team and the forensic science laboratory (FSL) team were called to inspect the scene and collect evidence.
Police said that, as per the postmortem report, the cause of death was identified as smothering, indicating that the woman was suffocated.
A preliminary inquiry also revealed that the family had initiated preparations for the last rites soon after the woman's death, raising suspicion about the circumstances.
Initial investigation pointed to the family's opposition to the woman's relationship.
"The family members of the woman saw her with the man, and she was taken back home. We got to know that she was beaten up and even locked inside the house for some days," a source said.
Further investigation into the matter is underway, police added.
