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Plea to Supreme Court CJ to inquire into Gujarat's Naliya sex racket, obtain CD from deputy chief minister
A fact-finding committee on the Naliya sex scam of Kutch district, which is experiencing tremors in Gujarat for the last several weeks, has sought a thorough inquiry into the incident of gangrape of a 19-year-old girl hailing from Kutch under the direct supervision of the Supreme Court chief justice.
The independent fact-finding committee, which met the victim's parents in Kothara village near Naliya, says that she is one of the 35 women who are being sexually exploited in an educational institute being run directly under the BJP supervision. “Main accused in this episode is the convener of BJP’s OBC cell of Abdasa taluka of Kutch district”, the report claims.
Pointing out that some 65 persons, all belonging to the BJP, are involved in the sex racket, the report insists, the inquiry into the episode should begin with the recovery a CD in possession of the deputy chief minister of Gujarat, Nitin Patel, as also Leader of Opposition, Shakarsinh Vaghela. The CD is said to be key to bringing the culprits to book.
Demanding that the inquiry should be completed within a specific time limit of three months, the committee insists, member of Parliament (MP) from Kutch Vinod Chavda should be “punished” for “sheltering” those running the racket, because the MP is on record saying that he know of gangrape in November.
The fact-finding report has been made public following an online petition calling the Naliya sex racket only a "tip of the iceberg."
The five members of the inquiry which went to Naliya were Dineshbhai Sanghvi, Nilpar Ashram, Rapar, Kutch district; Dr Zarana Pathak of the Ahmedabad Women’s Action Group ; Meenakshi Joshi of the All-India Mahila Sanskrutik Sangathan), Shabana Mansuri, advocate; and Balendra Vaghela of the People’s Union of Civil Liberties, Rajkot.
Seeking action against the police and the erring home department for “indirectly” failing to act, the report insists, the responsibility of the State and the National Women’s Commission should also be fixed, because it has failed to take cognizance of the sex racket.
Demanding “immediate financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh as a special case”, the report says, the state government “should accept the responsibility of her rehabilitation”, adding, “The home department should periodically, every week, make public, the status report on the progress in the inquiry.”
Meanwhile, in a representation to President Pranab Kumar Mukherjee, a civil society team has said that “the victim is knocking the door for justice but doubt persists whether there will be at all impartial enquiry of the existing sex racket as very powerful, influential leaders, even elected representatives and leaders of the BJP party are involved in this sex racket.”
Claiming that this is one reason why “the inquiry is moving sluggishly and direct-indirect measures are taken to vitiate the atmosphere against the victim in very dirtiest way”, the representation says, “Under these circumstances, we the concerned citizens demand strict administrative measures to expose the whole racket and arrest the culprits.”
Seeking “judiciary enquiry committee under the supervision of the Chief Justice of Gujarat”, the representation says, “If justice is eluded, the victims will again be pushed to the darkness of silence and injustice. People will lose the faith in the government and the administration, which will have a wider repercussion.”
The representation has been made amidst public pressure compelling the government to form a special investigation team (SIT) and arrest all the accused but one, who is absconding, it says, though adding, meanwhile, efforts are continuing to silence the victim: She has been offered Rs 1 crore by a local BJP leader.
Civil society activists who signed the representation to the President included Prakash N Shah, well-known Gandhian litterateur, veteran High Court advocate Girish Patel, top danseuse Mallika Sarabhai, economists Prof Indira Hirway and Prof Rohit Shukla, top Gandhian Indukumar Jani, well-known sociologist Prof Ghanshyam Shah, senior Dalit rights activist Manjula Pradeep, among others.
The five members of the inquiry which went to Naliya were Dineshbhai Sanghvi, Nilpar Ashram, Rapar, Kutch district; Dr Zarana Pathak of the Ahmedabad Women’s Action Group ; Meenakshi Joshi of the All-India Mahila Sanskrutik Sangathan), Shabana Mansuri, advocate; and Balendra Vaghela of the People’s Union of Civil Liberties, Rajkot.
Seeking action against the police and the erring home department for “indirectly” failing to act, the report insists, the responsibility of the State and the National Women’s Commission should also be fixed, because it has failed to take cognizance of the sex racket.
Demanding “immediate financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh as a special case”, the report says, the state government “should accept the responsibility of her rehabilitation”, adding, “The home department should periodically, every week, make public, the status report on the progress in the inquiry.”
Meanwhile, in a representation to President Pranab Kumar Mukherjee, a civil society team has said that “the victim is knocking the door for justice but doubt persists whether there will be at all impartial enquiry of the existing sex racket as very powerful, influential leaders, even elected representatives and leaders of the BJP party are involved in this sex racket.”
Claiming that this is one reason why “the inquiry is moving sluggishly and direct-indirect measures are taken to vitiate the atmosphere against the victim in very dirtiest way”, the representation says, “Under these circumstances, we the concerned citizens demand strict administrative measures to expose the whole racket and arrest the culprits.”
Seeking “judiciary enquiry committee under the supervision of the Chief Justice of Gujarat”, the representation says, “If justice is eluded, the victims will again be pushed to the darkness of silence and injustice. People will lose the faith in the government and the administration, which will have a wider repercussion.”
The representation has been made amidst public pressure compelling the government to form a special investigation team (SIT) and arrest all the accused but one, who is absconding, it says, though adding, meanwhile, efforts are continuing to silence the victim: She has been offered Rs 1 crore by a local BJP leader.
Civil society activists who signed the representation to the President included Prakash N Shah, well-known Gandhian litterateur, veteran High Court advocate Girish Patel, top danseuse Mallika Sarabhai, economists Prof Indira Hirway and Prof Rohit Shukla, top Gandhian Indukumar Jani, well-known sociologist Prof Ghanshyam Shah, senior Dalit rights activist Manjula Pradeep, among others.
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