Human Rights Commission seeks report from Social Justice Dept

Rajasthan Human Rights Commission today issued notice to the state social justice department seeking a report within two weeks on the alleged rape of hearing and speech impaired orphan girls in a residential hostel of an NGO here.
The incident has sparked a political storm in the desert state, where elections are due later this year, with ruling Congress alleging that a former BJP minister should be probed while the opposition accused the Ashok Gehlot government of keeping the crime under wraps due to visit of Rahul Gandhi.
"We (the commission) today took cognisance and issued notice to the Principal Secretary - Social justice department seeking the report of the matter within 15 days," acting chairperson of the SHRC, H R Kuri, told PTI.

"The case is highly condemnable. The officials of the department must have been alert but those who failed to perform their duty are also equally guilty," he said.
Several girls, who had gone to the hostel located in Kanota area near here to learn communication, had been repeatedly raped and beaten by the employees of the NGO- Awaaz Foundation and five persons were arrested last week in this connection.
The chairperson of the state commission for women, Ladkumari Jain, visited the residential hostel and raised several questions with regard to the functioning of the hostel.

"This is located in very interior and no outsider can have access to this premises. It is shocking that there is no female hostel warden and the hostel is being looked after by male staffers and a male clerk also used to be inside the girls' hostel," she told reporters.

Meanwhile, Congress alleged that a former BJP minister had links with the NGO owner and should be brought under the probe.
PCC Spokesperson said that the role of the former social justice minister should be probed.
However, police said that the ongoing investigation does not indicate that any former minister has link to the case.
"There is no complaint against the former minister so far and no such name cropped up during the course of investigation so far," DCP (East) Shweta Dhankar said.
Former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje alleged that the state government covered up the incident for several days due to the visit of the party leader Rahul Gandhi.

Addressing a public rally in Tonk district, she claimed that the chief minister was apprised of the incident by officers on April 30 but the matter was kept hidden for several days in view of Rahul Gandhi's visit.