A team of policemen on July 23 had begun digging up the grounds at a state-run shelter home in Muzaffarpur, Bihar to look for a girl who was allegedly murdered and buried there after an argument with one of the staff. Even though the digging has been stopped now, a soil sample will be sent to the Forensic Scientific Laboratory, reported ANI. The Muzaffarpur shelter home has recently been under the spotlight for allegations of over 40 girls being repeatedly raped under its roof. The state-run ‘Balika Grih’ is run by NGO called Sewa Sankalp Evam Vikas Samiti and run by Brajesh Thakur, a small-time journalist, along with Vineet Kumar, a member of child welfare committee.
According to the Times of India report, Brajesh signed an agreement with the state social welfare department to run the shelter. the shelter has since then been sealed off by the police and the co-owners, along with eight others, have been arrested.
Muzaffarpur shelter home alleged rape case: The digging in the shelter home premises has been stopped, no body has been recovered from the spot. A sample of the soil, which has been dug out from the spot, will be sent to Forensic Science Laboratory. #Bihar pic.twitter.com/Md9rjAWng6
— ANI (@ANI) July 23, 2018
Land dug up by police to find the body
Earlier in May, 21 girls were rescued by the police, where a medical examination confirmed that 16 of the girls had sexual contact, reported India Today. Reportedly, out of the 16 girls, one is a seven-year-old minor girl, who was allegedly subjected to sexual exploitation as well. The latest excavation of the site came after an inmate of the shelter home had informed the police about the body while they were conducting investigations in relation with the sexual assault of the girls at the shelter. According to ANI reports, the excavation is being carried out in the presence of Executive Magistrate (Eastern) Priya Rani Gupta and senior police officials, while Senior Superintendent of Police Harpreet Kaur said, “Nothing has been found so far at the shelter home premises where digging is underway.”
Nothing has been found so far at the shelter home premises where digging is underway. We are conducting a thorough investigation, police is working independently: Harpreet Kaur, SSP, Muzaffarpur on Muzaffarpur shelter home alleged rape case pic.twitter.com/tBYNQGlFtb
— ANI (@ANI) July 23, 2018
Repeated sexual exploitation at Bihar Shelter
Reportedly, the case of systematic sexual abuse came after Tata Institute Of Social Sciences (TISS) released a social audit report based on conversations with a number of inmates. According to News18, the rape survivors have been suffering from severe mental trauma to the point that they have even tried to inflict injuries and tried to kill themselves.
The atrocity did not end at sexual exploitation alone, as the social audit also found that the girls had burn and torture marks all over their bodies, which pointed to the fact that the girls were repeatedly tortured. Soon, all girls who were rescued were shifted to Patna and Madhubani, by the authorities on May 31. Doctors quoted by News18 stated that they found injection wounds which showed that the girls were drugged as well.
The Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government has since then come under pressure, after RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, in a series of tweets have come down heavily on the state of affairs in Bihar. He tweeted, “Imagine how you will feel if girls between seven and 17 years old from your family of the village were raped brutally by state-sponsored animals.”
सोचिए? अगर आपके परिवार और गाँव की 7 से लेकर 17 वर्षीय बहन-बेटियों के साथ सत्ता समर्थित व प्रायोजित हैवान महीनों तक दरिंदगी से दुष्कर्म करते रहें तो कैसा लगेगा? बिहार में बलात्कारों की बाढ़ सी आयी हुई है और सरकार साहेब है कि मुँह खोलने के लिए तैयार ही नहीं है। कुर्सी प्यारी है ना! pic.twitter.com/242b8sQjaj
— Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) July 23, 2018
Additionally, NDTV reported that a special investigation team has been set up, which will look into the case while the state government has urged people to keep a look-out for any suspicious activities in their neighbourhood.
