‘Khadims’ of Ajmer dargah including Nafees Chisti and Salim Chisti are among the 6 convicted by the POCSO court

In the Ajmer 1992 Sex Scandal, the POCSO court today delivered a historic verdict, holding six accused guilty. All the accused appeared before the court, which will announce the sentences on August 20 at 2 pm. One of the accused is still at large.

The POCSO court found Nafis Chishti, Naseem alias Tarzan, Salim Chishti, Iqbal Bhati, Sohail Ghani and Syed Jameen Hussain guilty of the crimes. In 1992, the accused raped over 100 girl students of the famous Mayo College in Ajmer and blackmailed them with their photographs. Four other accused have already served their sentences. After the guilty verdict, the police took all the accused into custody.

Rajasthan: In Ajmer’s biggest blackmail case, six accused including Nafees Chishti and Naseem alias Tarzan were found guilty by the Special POCSO Act Court. They blackmailed over 100 girls with obscene photographs dating back to 1992 photo.twitter.com/pqwkoPo1fk

— IANS (@ians_india) August 20, 2024

Four convicts in the case have already served their sentences. The first charge sheet, filed on November 30, 1992, listed eight individuals. Four additional charge sheets were later filed, bringing the total number of suspects to 12.

The main suspect, Farooq Chishti, was the president of the Ajmer Youth Congress. Nafis Chishti held the position of vice-president of the Ajmer Indian National Congress, while Anwar Chishti was the joint secretary of the Ajmer Indian National Congress.

The scandal came to light through an article in a local newspaper. It revealed the sexual exploitation of schoolgirls by blackmailing them with nude photos. The gang responsible for this influenced religious, political, social and economic areas. This revelation caused a stir in the whole country. It created an atmosphere of fear among government officials, police and members of social and religious organizations of the state.

Ajmer police found that young men from influential families of Khadims and caretakers of the dargah of Sufi Moinuddin Hasan Chisti were involved in the scandal

The Ajmer district police found that several wealthy young men from the families of Khadims, the caretakers of the dargah of Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan Chishti, were involved in the scandal. The police also suspected high-ranking politicians and officials. Due to concerns about possible threats to peace and order in the city, the police were initially reluctant to take action as they were under immense pressure.

A subsequent news article titled “How the schoolgirl blackmailers stayed free” featured explicit photos, further fueling public outrage. Protests erupted demanding justice, with Hindu organizations threatening to take matters into their own hands if legal action was not taken against the perpetrators.

Under immense pressure, the Ajmer District Bar Association met the local authorities and proposed that the identified suspects be booked under the National Security Act to calm public anger and prevent communal tension. Eventually, the investigation was handed over to the CID CB.

This incident led to a movement across Rajasthan demanding the arrest and justice for the victims.

On May 30, 1992, the CID CB officially took over the investigation. The scandal involved influential individuals, including members of the Khadim Chishti families and the Youth Congress, who were exploiting schoolgirls. Explicit photographs leaked from a photo lab drew attention to the crime.

Initially, the Ajmer District Police conducted the investigation, which was later headed by senior IPS officer N.K. Patni. The intimidation linked to the case led to several people, including the owner and manager of the photo lab, committing suicide. Several of the girls involved also ended their lives.

Despite decades of demands for justice by over 100 victims, many of the criminals were acquitted or released on bail. The case went through various courts, including the High Court, Supreme Court, Fast Track Court and POCSO Court. However, for most of the victims, who are now in their 50s and 60s, justice remains elusive.

The film “Ajmer 92”, which will be released in July 2023, depicts the true events of the rape, blackmail and entrapment of 250 girls. The film is directed by Pushpendra Singh and stars Karan Verma and Sumit Singh in the lead roles. The film has been opposed by Muslim organisations, with the Khadim community accusing it of defamation, which has also affected the Rajasthan state assembly elections.