Ugandan women turn to Bharti for help

In the eye of a storm following his recent midnight raid to bust a sex and drug racket, Delhi's controversial Law Minister Somnath Bharti is now playing an image-changing role --- trying to protect three Ugandan women who have turned to him for help.

The three Ugandan women from Malviya Nagar's Khirki Extension had recently registered a complaint with the Delhi police seeking protection from sex traffickers.

"Those women who had no trust on police and even on their own Ugandan Commission approached our law Minister Somnath Bharti seeking help and protection," Education and Urban Development Minister Manish Sisodia said today.

"So those people who were trying to project him as a villain over the midnight raid incident can now see for themselves what is happening there. I am astonished that police has not carried out a raid in the area," he said.

Sisodia said that these women were taken to the District Commissioner's office where their statements were recorded and FIR's against unknown people have been lodged.

These women in their complaints have said that they were brought to India under the garb of providing jobs but were pushed into flesh trade.

"Their passports have been taken away and the persons told them that even the police and the Ugandan High Commission will not help them and that they should compromise if they want to survive. The women have complained that they were being held hostage by a drug mafia," said Sisodia.

Reacting to the latest developments, Bharti said that the matter is "extremely serious, sad and unfortunate".

"This is an extremely serious matter and I would request Delhi Commission for Women to take suo-moto cognizance in this matter and summon the high officials of Delhi police as the statements of the girls itself has revealed that police is in connivance with these drug and sex mafias," Bharti said.

The Ugandan women along with some boys had approached Bharti on Saturday during the Mohallasabha.

Delhi government yesterday had sought the intervention of Ministry of External Affairs in providing "protection" to three Ugandan women after they approached it alleging they were held hostages by drug mafias in Malviya Nagar area of South Delhi.