Bihar Shelter Home Case: Main Accused Forced Girls To Dance On Vulgar Song And Have Sex With Guests

In the Muzaffarpur shelter home case where at least 34 of the 42 girls were sexually assaulted, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probing the case has made many more shocking revelations. The CBI has alleged that the main accused in the case and the owner of the shelter home, Brajesh Thakur used to force the girls to dance on vulgar songs and to have sexual intercourse with his guests. Thakur along with other 20 accused including the shelter home staff members have been charged under the Protection of Children From Sexual Offences Act (POCSO).

On December 19, CBI had filed a 73-page chargesheet in a special court in Patna. The chargesheet revealed that minor girls were forced to dance to “Bhojpuri songs” wearing revealing clothes. The CBI also said that girls were drugged, made to lie on the ground and then were raped by Thakur’s guest, reported NDTV.

“Those refusing to entertain the guests were offered only ‘roti’ and salt at night, while those who danced were given good food,” said the chargesheet. To support their claim, the agency has listed 101 people as witnesses, including the 33 alleged victims, as well.

The shelter home that was run by non-governmental organisation Seva Sankalp Evam Vikas Samiti, was home to 42 girls, most of them were minors. According to the agency, Thakur along with his close aids allegedly use to assault the girls who refused to obey Thakur’s order to have sexual intercourse with guests. “Ravi Kumar Roshan and Mamu often assisted Thakur in the course of making girls dance in front of guests and raping them,” the chargesheet claimed.

Who is under suspension?

The accused Roshan, a child protection officer is under CBI suspension for allegedly assaulting the minor girls. According to the agency, Child Welfare Committee Chairperson Dilip Kumar Verma and member Vikash Kumar are also in the list of main accused. The CBI has also named the Social Welfare Department Assistant Director Rosy Rani, who used to inspect the shelter home. The doctor, Pramila is named in the chargesheet as well, as he did not inform about the sexual assaults that were taking place in the shelter home. The doctor allegedly gave abortion pills to the inmates as well.

The Case

The case of sexual exploitation of young girls had come to light in April after 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, last 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.

On September 20, the Supreme Court said that there cannot be a blanket ban on media reporting in the shelter home probe. A bench of Justices vacated the August 23 order of the Patna High Court, which had earlier imposed a ban on the media reporting in the case.

Also Read: Bihar Govt Used To Provide Rs 40 Lakhs To Brajesh Kumar To Run The Shelter Home Where 34 Girls Were Raped