The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) informed the Supreme Court on Wednesday that 35 girls believed to have been murdered in the Muzaffarpur shelter home in Bihar have been found to be alive and that the agency has not been able to find any evidence regarding the alleged murders in the shelter home.
This is the first time the number of girls allegedly murdered is being mentioned as 35 in court; in May last year, CBI told the court that 11 girls were allegedly murdered by main accused Brajesh Thakur and his associates, according to statements of the victims of sexual abuse at the shelter home.
Attorney general KK Venugopal, representing CBI, told the court that all 35 girls have been traced and that the bones recovered from the premises of the shelter home belong to two adults and not children.
CBI, in its latest report submitted before the court, also said that its investigation into all 17 shelter homes in Bihar, including the one at Muzaffarpur where children were allegedly assaulted, have been completed and that the final reports in 13 cases have been sent to the competent court. Departmental action has been recommended against erring officials, including district magistrates for omission in performing their duties, it added. CBI’s report also suggested cancellation of registration or blacklisting of certain NGOs.
Out of the remaining four cases, no incriminating evidence proving commission of any criminal offence could be gathered and, therefore, no FIRs were registered, the agency told the court.
Allegations of murder and sexual exploitation of children in the Muzaffarpur shelter home in Bihar and other homes in the state surfaced in 2018 after an audit conducted by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) .
Subsequently, many girls were rescued from the shelter home at Muzaffarpur. Their statements alleged rampant sexual abuse and possible murders. The shelter home was run by NGO Sewa Sankalp Evam Vikas Samit, managed by Brajesh Thakur who was arrested and sent to judicial custody. Thakur who was initially lodged in Central Jail in Bhagalpur was later shifted to Patiala.
The top court started monitoring the case after journalist Nivedita Jha filed a petition.
Initially, CBI was probing the Muzaffarpur shelter home while allegations against other shelter homes were being investigated by the state police.
The Supreme Court, however, noted on November 28, 2018, that the “state police was not doing its job as expected” when it came to investigation of cases mentioned in the category of “Grave Concerns” by TISS in its report.
The court had, therefore, ordered CBI to take over the probe. In February 7, 2019, it also moved the Muzaffarpur case to a Delhi court.
