4 women among 8 held guilty of sexually exploiting minors at Rohtak Apna Ghar

HOUSE OF HORROR

PANCHKULA : A special CBI court here on Wednesday held eight people, including four women, guilty of sexually exploiting girls — some of them minors and even differently abled — in a government-funded orphanage Apna Ghar in Haryana’s Rohtak city.

Among those convicted is Jaswanti Devi, the owner of the NGO — Bharat Vikas Sangh — that ran the orphanage.

The court also convicted a woman, Roshni, for buying a newborn boy of one of the rape victims. Special CBI judge Jagdeep Singh, who last year convicted Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim in a rape case, will pronounce the sentence May 7, 2012: Three girls escape from Rohtak’s governmentfunded destitute home Apna Ghar and contact child helpline after reaching Delhi

May 9: NCPCR conducts a raid at shelter home and rescue over 100 inmates followed by arrest of centre head Jaswanti, her kin June 8: Haryana govt seals shelter and hands over the probe to CBI

on April 24.

Thirty-three victims, a dozen of whose testimony was vital to the case, stood their ground during the grilling, helping to bring the accused to book. One accused

was acquitted.

The case come to light on May 9, 2012, after a team from the National Council for the Protection of Child Rights conducted a surprise raid and rescued nearly 120 inmates. They were subjected to sexual abuse, besides physical and mental exploitation, and used as bonded labour. Many of the victims even delivered babies that were sold.

Apart from Jaswanti, her daughter Sushma alias Simmi, son-in-law Jai Bhagwan, brother Jaswant, driver Satish, cousin Sheela, employee Ram Prakash Saini and counsellor Veena, were convicted.

Former child development project officer Angrez Kaur Hooda, who was responsible for Apna Ghar inspection and chargesheeted for her involvement, was acquitted. The shelter home, which was located in the hometown of the then CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, was sealed a month after the NCPCR raid.