varanasi - red light capital of india
e-Voice Of Human Rights Watch
Varanasi, or Banaras, is described on the world map as a holy city for
both Hindus and Buddhists. What is less known about Varanasi is that
the city is also a wholesale market for women. Shivdaspur, within the
jurisdiction of the Maduadih police station, is known for its red
light district. Here women and children are brought from various parts
of India and neighboring countries for sale into the sex trade.
The women and children who arrive here are first "seasoned": they are
raped several times by "trainers" before being made available to
customers. The trainers include local politicians and policemen. After
the "training", they are expected to entertain local customers for a
while before being sold to other brothels across the country and
abroad.
The involvement of police and politicians ensures that there is little
interference with the business. Anyone who tries to interfere finds
the wall of protection so strong that it is practically impenetrable.
In the past few years Guria, a local human rights group, has tried to
rescue dozens of women and children who have been brought to
Shivdaspur. The group gets inside information about the trade.
Thus after being informed that on 25 October 2005 a batch of women
would be sold, Guria decided to launch a rescue operation. Beforehand
it informed the Maduadih police station, even down to the time when
the women would change hands. However the police, in spite of repeated
calls, failed to show up. Finally, with no other means, Guria went
ahead by itself.
Thereafter, the police did appear, and promptly chased away the
group's volunteers. They later charged Guria's activists with
allegedly breaking into houses and destroying property.
In response, there was an immediate public outcry against the police
and the flesh trade flourishing under their protection. Finding their
involvement in illegal activities exposed, the police registered cases
against several pimps and a few other people connected with the sex
industry.
However, their investigations overlooked the kingpin of the sex trade
in Shivdaspur, Rahmat Khan, who continued to collect money from
brothels and walk openly on the streets, even though an arrest warrant
had been issued for him. The local police, including high officers,
feared that if Khan were arrested he might reveal sensitive
information, exposing some of the police officers and the flourishing
trade under their watch. Consequently, Khan was shot dead in November
2005, and his body was found in a remote village away from the city.
The police version was that he was shot while resisting arrest. With
Khan now dead, the police believed they had saved themselves from
prosecution and further embarrassment.
The case against the pimps and the countercase against Guria are both
now being fought in the courts. Each time the case against the rest of
the pimps is taken up by the trial court, Khan's wife, one of the
accused along with several other criminals, obtains a stay order from
the Allahabad High Court. In response to these stay orders, Guria
files an objection with the court and has the stay order vacated.
Although opposing a stay order is the duty of the state prosecutor,
the prosecutor in the high court allows the application to be heard
unopposed. The court, which is supposed to consider each application
on its merits irrespective of whether it is opposed by the state or
not, allows the application without the least hesitation. Guria is now
caught in a battle in which it is playing the part not only of human
rights group, but also those of state prosecutor and the police.
To flourish, crime depends upon the help of corrupt law enforcement
officers. The trafficking of women and children is no exception. For
as long as the police keep benefiting from the sex trade in Varanasi,
the city will continue to remain a city of widows and prostitutes, as
well as holy cows.