New Delhi/Farrukhabad: Three centres run by a “spiritual leader” were raided by the police in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh on Saturday and 47 women and six minor girls were rescued.
A Delhi police team went to an ashram founded by Virender Dev Dixit at Dwarka in the national capital and rescued five minor girls, who were allegedly kept confined there, officials said.
Uttar Pradesh police also raided two centres run by Dixit at Siktarbad and Kampil respectively and rescued 47 women and a girl.
Facing a stiff opposition from the inmates, the police had to enter the centres from the terraces of the adjoining buildings.
Additional superintendent of police (ASP) Tribhuvan Singh said the minor girl, rescued from the Siktarbad ashram, would be produced before a magistrate and her statement would be recorded soon.
On Thursday, raids were conducted at the Adhyatmik Vishwa Vidyalaya at Rohini in the national capital, where women and girls were allegedly kept confined like “animals in a cage”.
The matter had come to light after a PIL was filed by an NGO, Foundation for Social Empowerment, in the Delhi high court.
Subsequently, the high court had set up a committee, comprising lawyers and Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal, to inspect the premises of the institute.
It had also asked the committee to inspect eight other centres run by Dixit in the national capital.
Ms Maliwal today said the Dwarka ashram had “prison-like surroundings” and the inmates there were kept locked.
“There were stacks of medicines and no register was being maintained to show where did the girls come from and for how long have they been there. All the girls gave evasive replies,” she said in a statement.
Ms Maliwal also said it was found that many girls were undergoing psychological treatment and were shifted from the Vijay Vihar ashram to Uttam Nagar.
“The locals informed us that before the DCW visit, many girls had been removed from the premises that morning. They said they often heard the girls cry at night,” she said.
