NCW team in Rajasthan to probe 'sale of minors' in Bhilwara

New Delhi, October 28

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The National Commission for Women (NCW) on Friday constituted a fact-finding team to investigate the reported sale of minors through stamp paper deeds in Rajasthan’s Bhilwara and directed the state DGP to immediately lodge cases under relevant Sections and begin probe.

Rekha Sharma, NCW chairperson, said the two-member team reached Bhilwara today and would report back after determining the facts.

A section of the media has reported that minors in Bhilwara are allegedly being sold on stamp papers to settle property disputes and their mothers being sexually assaulted in cases of violation of stamp paper commitments.

“These crimes are extremely appalling and traumatising,” the NCW said today.

Priyank Kanoongo, chairperson, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, said he would also visit Bhilwara on November 7.

The NCW has, meanwhile, also written to the Rajasthan Chief Secretary and sought urgent intervention into the matter. Reports have claimed that in several villages of Bhilwara district, community panchayats rule the roost and the law of the land does not apply. “In some villages, even today families rely on community panchayats for decisions to resolve personal feuds and often property disputes are resolved through sale of minors via stamp papers. If the families resist the sale, mothers of minors are sexually assaulted,” a media report has alleged. The matter has already snowballed into a political issue with opposition BJP attacking the CM Ashok Gehlot-led state government for “laxity”.