CBI fails to get police remand of three Apna Ghar case accused

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) failed to get police remand of three accused in the Rohtak shelter home abuse case here on Wednesday.

After taking over the case on July 12, the CBI arrested 10 accused on Wednesday and produced them before the court of civil judge Anudeep Kaur Bhatti at Panchkula. Those produced in the court were Jaswanti Devi, caretaker of Apna Ghar shelter home; her daughter Sushma alias Simmi; son-in-law Jai Bhagwan; brother Jaswant Singh; cousin Sheila; counsellor Veena; driver Satish; acquaintances Dayanand and Harvinder; and former probe officer Bhim Singh Ranga.

The CBI counsel sought police remand of Jai Bhagwan, Bhim Singh Ranga and Satish with a view to recovering laptop, mobile phones and other electronic gadgets allegedly containing footage of inmates being sexually abused. The footage was allegedly recorded by the accused.

When the judge asked for police diary, containing details of police investigations, the CBI failed to produce it. She also asked for an authority letter or high court or Supreme Court's order, authorising the CBI to take over the case, but the investigative agency even failed to produce that.

Turning down the CBI's request, the judge sent all accused to judicial custody, but gave time to the CBI to produce relevant papers before the court on Thursday in order to seek police remand of Jai Bhagwan, Bhim Singh Ranga and Satish. As per the Special Investigation Team (SIT) report published in the same columns, former investigating officer Bhim Singh Ranga, who had retired recently, had illegally handed over the case property, including mobile phones and laptops, to Dayananad.

When the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) team had raided the shelter home on May 9, Ranga was already present at the spot under suspicious circumstances. Ranga had allegedly threatened inmates not to give statements against Jaswanti.

There were 103 inmates residing at Apna Ghar, run by non-governmental organisation Bharat Vikas Sangh at Shri Nagar Colony in Rohtak. Later, a four-member advocates' committee, constituted by the high court, had submitted in its report after interviewing 101 inmates that they were subjected to sexual assault, brutal beating, starvation, naked parade, pornography, forcible abortions, forceful intoxication by caretaker Jaswanti Devi, her relatives, outsiders and also policemen.