National woman commission acts on Rajasthan girls sales

New Delhi: After the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) informed that it had taken suo moto cognizance on teenage girls being auctioned on stamp paper to settle disputes of loan repayments in Rajasthan, the National Commission for Women (NCW) informed that it also initiated action, Asian New International reported.

The NCW Chairperson, Rekha Sharma, said on Friday that it had dispatched a two-member team to investigate the matter to the Bhilwara district of the state. She said that she would also meet the Rajasthan Chief Secretary and the Bhilwara Superintendent of Police (SP) on November 1.

Sharma said that crimes like those mentioned had been reported in the last few years, and the state government has not taken any action over them. The commission had received reports that in many villages, girls were sold for prostitution on stamp paper, she said.

Further, the Rajasthan State Commission for Women also took cognizance of the matter. It issued a notice to the DGP and the collector of the Bhilwara district. It demanded immediate action on the matter and a report in seven days.

Condemning the reports on the crime, the Rajasthan State Commission for Protection of Child Rights said on Friday that suo motu cognizance was taken immediately.

But, Rajasthan minister Pratap Khachariyawas denied the media reports that suggested the sale of girls. He said that it was a matter of investigation and one cannot judge whether it is true until there is a probe. NHRC must have communicated with the state police first, and selling of girls does not happen there, he said.

Media reports suggested that girls aged from 8 to 18 were reportedly auctioned to settle disputes, such as and in case of refusal, their mothers were subjected to rape to settle them on the diktats of Caste Panchayat in Rajasthan.