CBI files charge sheet in Muzzafarpur shelter abuse case

The CBI has filed its first charge sheet in connection with the sexual abuse of minor girls at a shelter home in Bihar's Muzzafarpur against 21 people, including prime accused Brajesh Thakur, officials said.

Tahkur runs an NGO Seva Sankalp Evam Vikash Samiti that managed the shelter home.

The agency filed its charge sheet against Thakur, his employees, his associate Shaista Parveen and a government officer Rekha Rani before a special court.

In its charge sheet, the CBI has confirmed that the girls were subjected to sexual abuse and slapped stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on the accused.

The charge sheet deals with alleged violation of rules, aiding and abetting the heinous crimes against the girls, criminal conspiracy and other charges.

More serious offences like murder, rape, involvement of people, who were part of exploitation racket, will be chronicled in a future charge sheet, the sources said.

They said identification of the perpetrators, alleged customers and others, is a time consuming process as the victims, who are in shock and trauma, are not being examined by the CBI, but experts from the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS).

It is important that they are interviewed and counselled by experts because of the sensitive nature of the case, their age, and trauma that they bore for years, the sources said.

Filing of this charge sheet will ensure that the arrested persons may be kept behind bars by the courts as they will not be able to exploit of the chance of seeking bail for the want of charge sheet even after 90 days of their arrest, they said.

The agency has alleged that the then assistant director of the state social welfare department Rekha Rani had known about the abuse at the NGO-run shelter home of Thakur, but she turned a Nelson's eye towards it, the sources said.

Parveen's house was allegedly used by Thakur's aides for abusing the girls, they said.