Farooq Chishti is an Indian former politician and Khadim (caretaker) of the Ajmer Sharif Dargah. He was one of the main convicts in the Ajmer rape and extortion case in the early 1990s.
Wiki/Biography
Farooq Chishti aka Farooq Chishtee aka Farookh Chisty was born in Ajmer, Rajasthan, India. After completing his formal education, he took an active part in local politics and became the president of the Indian Youth Congress in Ajmer.
Farooq Chishti and Nafis Chishti with their friends
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′7″
Weight (approximately): 70kg
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
family
He belonged to the large Khadim family of Ajmer Sharif Dargah.
Parents and siblings
There is not much information about his parents and siblings.
wife and children
There are not many details about his wife and children.
religion
He believes in Islam.
blackmail local girl
In 1990, Geeta, a class 12 student at Savitri School in Ajmer, made up her mind to join the Congress Party. Fortunately, she meets an acquaintance named Ajay, who claims to know Nafis and Farooq Chishti, who can help her realize her wish. One day, while talking to Ajay, Geeta expressed her desire to get gas connected. Ajay takes advantage of this and introduces her to Nafis and Farooq Chishti, assuring her that they are trustworthy people who will help her with any job.
Anwar Chishti, Nafis Chishti and Farooq Chishti with a friend (left to right)
Farooq and Nafis held several meetings with Geeta in the presence of Ajay and promised to ensure her a seat in parliament. They even provided her with forms to fill out, including a request for a passport-size photo. One day, when Nafis and Farooq drove her to school, Geeta felt reassured by their behavior and did not suspect any wrongdoing on her part. However, instead of sending her to school, they took her to the farmhouse against her will.
The farmhouse where the girl was raped in the Ajmer 92 incident
She believed the purpose of the detour was to discuss her participation in Congress; however, once alone with Nafis, he forcibly beat her and threatened her with her life if she did not comply with his demands. Days later, Nafis confronted her again, repeating the threats and warning her of the consequences of speaking out about the attack. This marked the beginning of a series of enforcement actions. Geeta was manipulated into introducing Nafis and Farooq to other girls, posing as her “brothers” in order to build trust. The girls were lured to parties, known as ‘parties’, at the farmhouse or Farooq’s bungalow on Foysagar Road.
The van used to kidnap girls
Many of these women were sexually assaulted by one or more perpetrators, who often took photos of the assaults as a means of further control and to ensure the survivors’ silence through humiliation and blackmail. The gang allegedly exploited more than 250 female students and college students.
Picture leak leads to truth revealed
The spread of sexual assault photos took a dark turn when some employees at the photo lab where they were taken began sharing the photos, further exacerbating the abuse; however, this inadvertently led to the case becoming public knowledge. Purshottam, the developer of Scrolls and one of the defendants in the case, bragged about the controversial images to his neighbor Devendra Jain, journalist Santosh Gupta reported Jain, who was reading a pornographic magazine at the time, called them “the real thing.”
Photo of one of the victims of Ajmer rape case
Devendra made copies of the photos and sent them to the local Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) group and the Dainik Navajyoti newspaper. VHP staff then handed the photos to police, who launched a formal investigation.
Convicts of 1992 Ajmer rape case
Police investigations and public protests
On April 21, 1992, local journalist Santosh Gupta wrote an initial report for Dainik Navajyoti, shedding light on the issue of sexual exploitation; however, it was not until the newspaper published the report in 1992 The matter only came to widespread attention when a second report was published on May 15, 2016, including grainy images of naked survivors, which caused an immediate uproar. These shocking revelations and images sparked public outrage, leading to a complete halt in activities in Ajmer on May 18 in protest against the heinous crime.
Newspaper clippings of 1992 Ajmer rape case
Santosh Gupta, the journalist who exposed the racketeering case
In 1992, an FIR numbered 90/1992 was lodged with Ganj police station in Ajmer, relating to rape and extortion. On 27 May 1992, the police took a major step by issuing arrest warrants under the National Security Act (NSA) for some of the defendants involved in the case. Three days later, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) North Ajmer, Hari Prasad Sharma, filed a first information report (FIR) at Ganj police station. Subsequently, Superintendent of Police (Crime Branch) of Jaipur CID (Crime Branch) NK Patni was sent to Ajmer to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.
arrest and release
One of the 18 people involved, Purshottam, committed suicide in 1994. The initial trial involved eight suspects, who were sentenced to life imprisonment by a district court in 1998; however, in 2001, the Rajasthan High Court acquitted four of them, and the Supreme Court reduced the sentences of the remaining four to ten years in 2003. The remaining defendants were subsequently arrested and tried at various intervals over the following decades. Farooq claimed to be mentally incompetent to stand trial; however, in 2007, a fast-track court found him guilty and sentenced him to life in prison. In 2013, the Rajasthan High Court released him after finding that he had served a sufficient period of time.
Farooq Chishti after his release
life after release
After his release, Farooq Chishti lived a relatively privileged life in Ajmer. As of 2023, he was known to be a regular visitor to the Dargah Sharif, where some people still perform the ritual of kissing his hands. The city’s public has been critical of Farook’s treatment, particularly because of his ties to the respected Khadim family, where he is viewed as a respected elder.
Farooq Chishti (garlanded) wearing Ajmer Sharif Dargah
in mass media
Ajmer 1992, a web series based on the 1992 Ajmer rape scandal, was announced in 2021. It was originally scheduled to be released in December 2021, but was postponed due to unknown reasons. In July 2023, the movie “Ajmer 92” was released, starring Karan Verma, Sumit Singh and Rajesh Sharma; the film was directed by Pushpendra Singh.
Sumit Singh plays Geeta Singh in Ajmer 92
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education