Taking suo moto cognizance of a media report that minor girls are being auctioned off on stamp papers and their refusal results in their mothers being raped in half a dozen districts in Rajasthan, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a notice to the Congress government in the state on Thursday (October 27, 2022). The Rajasthan government has been given 4 weeks to respond to the matter.
NHRC notice to the Govt of Rajasthan on the reported auctioning of girls on stamp papers and the refusal thereof resulting in the rape of their mothers to settle disputes on the diktats of Caste Panchayats in the State. Details:https://t.co/MSwAurFvCz@ANI@PTI_News@PIB_India
— NHRC India (@India_NHRC) October 27, 2022
The National Human Rights Commission took to Twitter to share a link to a press release it issued in this regard, in which it stated that it had issued a notice to the Chief Secretary and DGP of Rajasthan. It said that it has requested the state authorities to provide a detailed report on the matter, as well as an action taken report, qua measures already taken and, if not, proposed to be taken to prevent such heinous incidents.
Notably, two days ago, Hindi media outlet Dainik Bhaskar had reported on the issue. BJP leader Sambit Patra also took to Twitter today to post the media report drawing attention to the horrific crime being committed with impunity in different areas of Rajasthan.
कांग्रेस पार्टी का नारा तो है, ‘लड़की हूँ लड़ सकती हूँ’ का, लेकिन हकीकत राजस्थान में देखें, जहां बहन बेटियों की खुलेआम नीलामी चल रही है।
— Sambit Patra (@sambitswaraj) October 27, 2022
कांग्रेस के कुशासन से तंग आकर अब राजस्थान की बेटियां कह रही हैं; ‘लड़की हूँ बच सकती हूं, तभी तो राजस्थान में रह सकती हूं।’ pic.twitter.com/R6WXPIkvn3
Taking cognisance of the same, NHRC stated in its press release, that a notice was issued to the Director General of Police, Rajasthan, to provide a thorough report mentioning the initiation of criminal prosecution against the perpetrators of such crime and their abettors/sympathizers.
“It must also contain the status of cases, including the registration of FIRs, charge-sheet, arrest, if any, in such incidents and the mechanism initiated to apprehend the people involved in such systematic crimes of flesh trade in the State. The report must also mention steps being taken or proposed to be taken against the public servant(s), who purported to have neglected perpetually prevention of such incidents,” read the press note.
The commission said it took suo motu cognizance of a media report in this regard that said “whenever there is a dispute between the two parties particularly involving financial transactions and loans etc, the girls aged between 8-18 are auctioned to recover money.”
These girls are being sent to Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Mumbai, Delhi and even abroad and subjected to physical abuse, torture and sexual assault.
NHRC said media reports have documented the ordeal of many victims of such crimes, adding that if true they amount to gross human rights violations.
Without naming any particular media outlet, NHRC said that “according to the media report, carried on 26th October 2022, the Caste Panchayats in Rajasthan are committing this crime like Syria and Iraq where the girls are enslaved. Reportedly, in Bhilwada, whenever there is any dispute between the two parties, they instead of going to the police, approach the Caste Panchayats for its settlement. It becomes the starting point of making the girls slave, if they are not sold, their mothers are ordered to be raped.”
“The news report further reveals that in order to pay off Rs. 15 lakh dept a Caste Panchayat force a man to sell his sister first and even after this when the debt was not cleared, he was forced to sell his 12 year old daughter. The buyer purchased the girl for Rs. 8 lakh. Thereafter, all the five sisters became slave but still their father could not pay off his debt. In another incident a man was forced to sell his house and further take a loan of Rs. 6 lakh for the treatment of his wife, who later died, he take Rs. 6 lakh more for the treatment of his mother. In order to settle the loan, he sold his small daughter for Rs. 6 lakh to some people, who took her to Agra. She was sold three times and became pregnant four times,” the NHRC press release further read.
Notably, Hindi media outlet Dainik Bhaskar had, two days ago, published a report on the matter.
It revealed how minor girls are being auctioned on stamp papers in half a dozen districts of the state of Rajasthan. If refused, their mothers are subjected to rape on the diktats of the local caste panchayats for the settlement of disputes, revealed the report.
As evidence, the media outlet had also shared a screenshot of a stamp paper on which a caste panchayat in Bhilwara conducted a similar deal to resolve an alleged dispute between two parties.
