On Tuesday, Khadim of Ajmer Sharif Dargah Sayed Sarwar Chishti released a video apologising for blaming women for the Ajmer Sharif rape scandal. This is days after his video went viral over the internet in which he could be seen trying to justify the 1992 Ajmer Sharif rape scandal.
“Man may not be corrupted by money, may not be morally corrupt even. But ‘Ladki cheez hi aisi hai…’ (a girl is such a thing) that can corrupt anyone. Just like Menaka disrupted Vishwamitra’s ‘Tapasya’. All the ‘Babas’ in jail have been incarcerated in cases involving women. Even the most prominent men fall into this trap,” he was quoted as saying on June 10. He said this while he was reacting to the questions regarding the upcoming film ‘Ajmer 92’ which is based on the 1992 scandal.
Releasing a video, Chishti said that the video was shot as a part of a sting operation which he had no idea about, and that he did not actually mean what he said. “I didn’t mean what I said. I meant that the activities of the culprits in the rape scandal are criminal and so they are in jail. If I have unknowingly hurt the sentiments of women in any manner, I express my apology for that. I in no way am justifying the incident. Those are criminal activities. My tongue might have slipped. But I didn’t mean what is being said and spread in the media,” he said.
Ajmer: दरगाह के खादिम सरवर चिश्ती ने मांगी माफी, बोले- ऑफ द रिकॉर्ड बातों का चुपके से बनाया गया वीडियोhttps://t.co/EyuU3iD1oK pic.twitter.com/pdsFX73Xax
— Amar Ujala (@AmarUjalaNews) June 13, 2023
He, meanwhile, also tried to brazen it out in the video and counter-questioned asking that if people are really so much concerned about the women, why is nobody talking about the women wrestlers who are protesting for justice in Delhi.
It is notable that the trailer of the film Ajmer 92 has created a stir since its release. This hard-hitting picture, produced by Reliance Entertainment in collaboration with U&K Films Entertainment, Sumit Motion Pictures, and Little Crew Pictures, will be released on July 14, 2023. Based on true events, Ajmer 92 tells the story of the plight of as many as 250 girls who were trapped, sexually exploited, and blackmailed for years in Ajmer by several influential men in the city.
Some of the Chishti Khadims (caretakers) of the Ajmer Dargah were among the accused in this case. The accused Chishtis included Anwar Chishti, Farooq Chishti, and Nafees Chishti.