Several towns have seen protests against abuse of minors

BHOPAL/INDORE: Indore police on Saturday registered yet another FIR against Ashwini Sharma , director of a government-run hostel in Bhopal, who is accused of raping a deaf-mute girl and molesting several others.

After seeing news reports, a fourth girl arrived in Indore on Saturday and approached police. She alleged that Sharma held her confined, forced her to watch porn and had unnatural sex with her. She says he brutally assaulted her when she refused to give in.

She says she saw other girls being harassed by him but they could not ask for help as they were very scared.

“An FIR under IPC sections 376, 377, 354, 354 a, 292, 506 ( rape , unnatural offences, assault and molestation) and under SC/ST Act was lodged at Heera Nagar police station and the case diary transferred to Bhopal,” said DIG Harinarayanachari Mishra.

Sharma was arrested on Thursday after a 19-year-old deaf-mute tribal girl filed a rape complaint against him.

On Saturday, police in Bhopal said Sharma has confessed to raping the 19-yearold girl, but denied harassing or raping other inmates. Sharma is on police remand.

Regarding the fresh case filed in Indore, Bhopal DIG Dharmendra Choudhary said the survivor contacted Bhopal cops and was advised to file a complaint in Indore because she lives nearby. According to her complaint, Sharma raped her at his hostel from September 2017 to February 2018 after which she left the hostel, said Choudhary. Her statements have been recorded in court.

All the cases registered against Sharma are being investigated on priority basis and police will ensure that the accused gets harsh punishment, the DIG said.

ASP-Zone II Dinesh Kaushal said that during interrogation, Sharma confessed to having “sexual relations” with the 19-year-old tribal girl on whose complaint a zero FIR was lodged in Kotwali police station of Dhar. But he has denied sexually abusing anyone else, Kaushal said.

SP (South) Lodha Rahul Kumar said the SIT held a meeting on Saturday to discuss the course of investigation. The priority of SIT is to chargesheet the accused as soon as possible. Police are looking for details of the 21 girls who lived in the hostel over the past three years. They will be contacted and if any complaint is received cases will be registered, Lodha said.

The owners of the house, who gave it out on rent to be run as hostel, will be sent notices and if their negligence is found, a case will be registered against them, too, said the SP, adding that Sharma’s phone has been sent for forensic tests.

