National
Girls confinement in ashram: Delhi HC says don’t trust police, orders CBI probe
New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) The Delhi High Court on Wednesday said it has “no confidence in police” and ordered a CBI investigation into an ashram here where minor girls and women were allegedly being kept in illegal confinement in the name of religious preaching.
A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C. Hari Shankar, noting that an ashram cannot work under a “shroud of secrecy”, asked CBI Director Alok Verma to forthwith set up a special investigation team to probe various FIRs of girls and women being allegedly lured into the ashram in Rohini area on the pretext of spiritual guidance but then being raped.
The judges, who met the girls rescued from the ashram and their parents in their chambers, said they cannot even reveal what a 13-year-old girl told them about what was going on there.
Saying “we have no confidence in the police” for not taking any action on about 10 FIRs lodged against the ashram and its members, the bench directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to seize all records relating to FIRs lodged and entries in the ‘daily diary’ maintained by police in connection with alleged rape and suicides of women there.
Taking note that girls and women in the ashram were in dire need of medical help, it also directed Delhi’s Principal Secretary, Health to set up a medical team to go and examine the inmates.
On Tuesday, the court ordered a committee, which included Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal, to conduct an inspection of the Adhyatmik Vishwa Vidyalaya and said this should be video-graphed.
The committee, which visited the ashram on Tuesday itself, told the bench on Wednesday that the girls and women there were not in their senses and looked like they were under the influence of some kind of drugs, adding that some kind of sex racket was going on at the ashram.
They also said that the girls and women were kept in “unhygienic and animal-like conditions with no privacy even for bathing”.
“Even the bathing area consists of a room with four water taps and no walls,” Maliwal said.
The committee also sought age verification of the inmates alleging that most of them, according their appearance, seemed to be minors.
Maliwal also suggested that all the inmates be removed from the ashram and sent to a safe place, like Nari Niketan, under the DCW’s custody.
She also told the court that the committee members were assaulted and confined for about an hour by some ashram inmates when they went to inspect the premises – despite the court on Tuesday telling Virender Dev Dixit, referred to as the founder and spiritual head of the institute, to cooperate with the committee and police.
The committee described the building as a fortress with iron grilles and locks all around and surrounded by barbed wire on the sides, and Maliwal said that police had to break open many of the locked iron doors as the inmates were not cooperating.
At this, the court said: “Why do you need so many iron grilles and locks… If you are running an ashram or ‘sanstha’, you should be completely open.” It then directed the commissioner of North Delhi Municipal Corporation to inspect the building and take action in case of any illegalities.
The court directed the Child Welfare Committee chairperson concerned, along with the committee, to visit the ashram premises and take step in accordance with the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act.
On Tuesday, the court referred to a similar situation witnessed in Dera Sacha Sauda chief and rape convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh’s ashram in Haryana’s Sirsa.
The court’s order had come on a plea filed by NGO Foundation for Social Empowerment, which said that several minors and women were being illegally confined there and are not allowed to meet their parents.
–IANS
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National
Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok
Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.