6 sentenced to life imprisonment for 1992 Ajmer sex scandal involving 100 schoolgirls; details of the case here

A special POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act Court on Tuesday (August 20) convicted the six remaining accused in the infamous 1992 Ajmer rape and blackmail case, in which over 100 schoolgirls were exploited. The convicts—Nafees Chishti, Naseem aka Tarzan, Salim Chishti, Iqbal Bhati, Sohail Gani and Sayeed Zameer Hussain—were found guilty by the court.

The case, which dates back to 1992, involved the blackmail and sexual exploitation of young girls from a reputed private school in Ajmer. The gang obtained obscene photographs of around 250 girls and used them to blackmail the victims, eventually raping over 100 of them. The girls, aged between 11 and 20, were lured to a farmhouse where the gruesome acts took place.

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Four other convicts had previously served their sentences. The first indictment, filed on November 30, 1992, named eight individuals, and four subsequent indictments were filed, bringing the total number of suspects to 12.

The main accused included influential figures such as Farooq Chishti, who was president of the Ajmer Youth Congress, Nafis Chishti, vice-president of the Ajmer Indian National Congress, and Anwar Chishti, the joint secretary of the Ajmer Indian National Congress.

The scandal first came to light through a local newspaper article, which exposed the gang’s exploitation of schoolgirls through blackmail. The incident caused widespread outrage across the country and sent shock waves through religious, political, social and economic circles in Ajmer. The case created an atmosphere of fear among government officials, police and members of social and religious organisations.

On May 30, 1992, the CID CB officially took over the investigation from the Ajmer District Police. The scandal, involving members of the Khadim Chishti families and the Youth Congress, was initially investigated by the district police before being overseen by senior IPS officer N.K. Patni. The case had a devastating impact and led to several people linked to the investigation, including the owner and manager of the photo lab where the explicit photographs were developed, committing suicide. Tragically, several of the victims also took their own lives.

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

The Ajmer rape and blackmail case was also the subject of the 2023 film “Ajmer 92”, which depicts the true events of the scandal. The film is directed by Pushpendra Singh and stars Karan Verma and Sumit Singh in the lead roles.