NHRC issues notice to Rajasthan government over 'auctioning of girls' to settle financial disputes

The Rajasthan government received a notice from the NHRC on Thursday over allegations that girls are "being auctioned on stamp paper" in six districts of the state. The notice states that this leads to the "rape of their mothers to settle financial disputes on the diktats of caste panchayats."

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued a statement stating that it has taken suo motu cognizance of a media report. Both the director general of police (DGP) and the chief secretary of Rajasthan have been given four weeks to report to the commission.

The NHRC cited a media report while stating that females between the ages of eight and 18 are "auctioned to recover money" if there is a disagreement between the two parties, particularly one involving financial matters and loans.

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According to a media source, these girls are transferred to UP, MP, Mumbai, Delhi, and even foreign countries after being sold at auction, where they are subjected to physical abuse, torture, and sexual assault. If accurate, the information in the report amounts to abuses of human rights, according to the NHRC.

The commission has requested a thorough report on the subject from the chief secretary of Rajasthan, along with information on what steps have been taken, what steps have already been taken, and, if not, what steps have been recommended to be taken to prevent such instances.

In order to eliminate the caste-based system that breaches girls' and women's human rights and the right to dignity in the state, the NHRC demanded that the report include information on how the state government is establishing the duties of the Gram Panchayat, in accordance with constitutional provisions or Panchayati Raj law.

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The Rajasthan DGP has also been given notice to produce a thorough report outlining the start of criminal prosecution against those responsible for such offences, according to the NHRC. It stated that the report must also include the status of cases, including the filing of FIRs, the charge-sheet, any arrests made in connection with such instances, and the mechanisms put in place to catch those responsible for such widespread crimes against the state's flesh trade.

The NHRC added that it has given its special rapporteur, Umesh Sharma, three months to travel and investigate the affected areas of Rajasthan and to submit a thorough report on the incidences documented and the local practices.

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(With inputs from PTI)