'67 girls in Rajsamand were fed homeopathic medicines daily'

Nearly a week after 67 minor girls were rescued from an unuathorised ashram run at a hotel premises in Rajsamand in Rajashtan, the state's child rights panel on Tuesday said they were daily given homeopathic medicines and chocolates by ashram officials.

Rajasthan State Commission for Protection of Child Rights Chairperson Manan Chaturvedi said some medicines and chocolates have been seized and sent for testing.

The girls in the 5-16 age group hail from 16 states and Nepal.

"How these girls ended up in Rajsamand is a matter of investigation. A strong illegal network must have been in operation to bring these girls here," she added.

Authorities meanwhile denied that police beat some girls while they were being shifted to Udaipur on Monday.

Reacting to reports that police slapped a few girls when they showed reluctance to be shifted out, Rajsamand Superintendent of Police Manoj Kumar said no force was used.

"As they did not want to be shifted to a new place, they bit members of the police team and even attacked them," Child Welfare Committee member Bhavna Paliwal told IANS on Tuesday. She also denied use of force on the girls.

CWC member Gajendra Singh said more facts in the case will emerge once the girls undergo counselling.

He said that around 50 persons have so far come forward to claim custody of the girls, but the credibility of some of them was suspect.

Informed sources said on the condition of anonymity that the ashram housing the girls had linkages to self-styled godman Virendra Dev Dixit whose ashram in Delhi was sealed a few months ago.

Chaturvedi said the priority of the authorities was to send the girls back to their native places.

--IANS

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