30 Years And The Wait For Justice: Nearly 100 Teenage Girls From Ajmer Were Sexually Abused In 1992

In May of 1992, one of the most horrific cases of gang rape in the country came to light from Ajmer. The case, where nearly 100 teenage girls were sexually abused, laid bare a toxic mix of religious reach and political impunity, sent shockwaves across the nation. 30 years on, the case is an open wound even today, resisting cure or closure for the survivors. The accused were Farooq and Nafis, who belonged to the extended family associated with a prominent place of worship, and their friends. They had trapped school-going girls with threats and blackmail for months and gang-raped them. A photo colour lab printed their nude photographs and helped circulate them.

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Santosh Gupta, Senior Journalist from Ajmer said,

The accused were from an influential family - socially, economically, religiously and politically - influential in many ways.

It was in December last year when one of the gang rape survivor's anger stunned the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) courtroom into silence. She said,

Why are you still calling me to court again and again? It has been 30 years. I am now a grandmother, leave me alone.

Since the trial began in September 1992, police have filed six charge sheets, named 18 accused (up from 8 initially), and more than 145 witnesses. The case has spanned 12 public prosecutors, over 30 Station House Officers (SHOs), dozens of Superintendent of Police (SPs), Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGs), Director General of Police (DGPs) and there have been five changes of the government in Rajasthan.

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Talking about the delay in justice and the POCSO Act, Sampurna Behura, Director, Bachpan Bachao Andolan, said,

The government of India formulated a very robust act in the year 2012 that is known as POCSO Act. The POCSO Act mandates the trial to be completed within a year's time to ensure time-bound justice to a child. The pendency not only adds up in delaying the delivery of justice but also adds to the agony of the child and the victim who has to relive the moment every time they are called to the court. This delays the rehabilitation of the child which is one of the core aspects of the POCSO Act. 

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Under Section 273 of the Criminal Procedure Code, the court has to record the survivor's testimony in the presence of the accused, a process that ends up re-traumatising victims all over again. Currently, six of the accused are undergoing trial in POCSO court, but are all out on bail. One more suspect, Almas Maharaj, was never caught and is believed to be in the United States. Like all the victims of this case, thousands of victims of child sexual abuse reel under immense mental trauma every day and continue to suffer in silence.

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Justice For Every Child campaign will work to ensure legal and mental support to child victims of sexual abuse and rape and their families, Donate Now