Bihar Shelter Home Case: 11 Missing Girls Believed To Be Murdered; SC Asks CBI To Complete Probe By June 3

The Central Board of Investigation, in its seventh status report in Bihar Shelter Home case, said that 11 missing girls may have been murdered. CBI based its findings on the recovery of a bundle of bones from a burial grounds.

Now, the Supreme Court bench, comprising of Chief Justice Rajan Gogoi and Justice Deepak Gupta said that the matter would be heard on June 3 by a vacation bench considering the urgency of the case. However, Attorney General KK Venugopal representing CBI has raised an objection. He said that it would not be possible for CBI to complete the probe by June 3.

CBI accused of not conducting a proper probe

The response of CBI over the alleged murder of 11 girls was given on an affidavit filed on an application which had alleged that the investigation agency had failed to conduct a proper probe into the matter.

In the affidavit, CBI said, “Based on the facts revealed by one accused, namely Guddu Patel during his interrogation, a particular spot in burial ground as identified by accused Guddu Patel was excavated and a bundle of bones were recovered from the spot.”

Advocates Shoeb Alam and Fauzia Shakil, representing the petitioners had alleged that a larger conspiracy in the case was ignored by CBI. They also said that the accused were not charge-sheeted under the strict provision of law. CBI has point blank rejected the accusations and further said that as per revelations made by inmates before the Investigative Officers (IOs), the bundle of bones was exhumed from the burial ground.

CBI also denied the allegation levied on it according to which the agency was trying to hide the real perpetrators and the role of outsiders was intentionally being overlooked. The petitioner had claimed that victims stated to have been raped by outsiders and friends of main accused Brajesh Thakur.

The Bihar shelter home case

The Pune’s Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) audit team in the Muzaffarpur shelter home had submitted a report to Bihar’s Social Welfare department. The report claimed that there were issues of sexual assault on the minor girls. After the report was forwarded to the Director of Bihar’s Social Welfare department on May 26, this year an investigation was initiated in the case.

An FIR was filed against the local journalist Brajesh Thakur, the owner of the NGO for the destitute girls. The NGO, ‘Seva Sankalp Evam Vikas Samiti’ was funded by the government. Including the main accused, Brajesh, 11 others were also arrested in the case under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court in Muzaffarpur. After the medical examination of the 42 girls living in the NGO, 34 were confirmed to be sexually exploited. At least 14 officials were suspended in the case who were involved in the case.

In November 2018, the SC had asked CBI to conduct a probe into the matter.

Also Read: Bihar Shelter Home Case: Exhumed Skeletons Believed To Be Of Inmates’