Another Muzaffarpur! Hostel girls 'Forced to watch porn, raped for six months' in Bhopal

Even as the horror of Muzaffarpur Rape case is  still fresh in our minds, another ghastly incident from Bhopal had almost all newsrooms in the country in a tizzy on Sunday. Ashwini Sharma, director of a government-run hostel in Bhopal, who allegedly raped a deaf-mute inmate and molested several others, seized the attention of millions.

Meanwhile, Indore police on Saturday registered a fresh FIR against Sharma after a fourth girl from the city came forward to approach the police. She accused the director of keeping her in captive and raping regularly for six months.

"I was kept in custody, made to watch porn films and was raped for six months," the 23-year-old woman from Dhar district said in her statement to police.

Last week, Sharma, the director of the Bhopal hostel was arrested after a 19-year-old deaf-mute tribal girl filed a rape complaint against him. Post that, two other women accused Sharma of various criminal charges including rape, intimidation, wrongful confinement and a law to prevent atrocities against Dalits.

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According to reports, a total of four girls were kept in a separate house allegedly by Ashwini Sharma in Crystal Ideal City in Awadhpuri. Though, Sharma has confessed to raping the hearing and speech impaired girl, he denied assaulting or raping other inmates.

Mirroring the Bihar shelter shame, the dreadful incident in the Bhopal hostel has also raised significant questions regarding government's connection to the case.

Accusing the BJP of having a close relation with Sharma, state Congress spokesperson Shobha Oza on Saturday released a video, in which Sharma is seen standing close to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and touching his feet.

According to the Congress, Ashwini Sharma is an activist of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and has been enjoying the blessings of Chouhan over the years.

BJP spokesperson Rahul Kothari, on the other hand, denied the allegation, saying "The Congress is just playing politics in such a sensitive matter, the accused is arrested and investigations are on".

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However, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) is currently probing the case and looking for the details of all 21 girls who lived in the private hostel over the last three years. Earlier in the day, they have recovered ATM cards, register and documents related to the victims.

The the investigation team will also contact the owners of the house, who gave it Sharma on rent and if any kind of negligence is found from their side, a case will be registered against them too. The SIT team has sent Sharma's phone for forensic test.