Bijaynagar abuse case: Bail plea of cafe owner rejected

Ajmer: POCSO court No. 1 in Ajmer, Wednesday, rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Deepak Choudhary, one of the accused in the Bijaynagar sexual abuse case involving minor schoolgirls. So far, 12 individuals have been arrested and four minors detained in connection with the case. Police have filed a charge sheet in one of the three FIRs registered at the Bijaynagar police station in Beawar district on February 15.Deepak Choudhary (35), a café owner and resident of Gaurav Path, sought anticipatory bail claiming he was only operating a café and had no role in the abuse. However, the court dismissed the plea. "The court observed that the accused provided a place for other individuals who brought minor girls there," said special public prosecutor Roopendra Parihar.He added, "If the accused was innocent, he should have assisted police in the investigation instead of fleeing after the FIR was lodged." The court noted that Deepak allegedly became an accessory by offering his café space, for a fee of Rs 200, where the girls were abused and reportedly targeted for religious conversion. "The court mentioned that the crime involved minor girls from a special category," said Parihar.An arrest warrant has already been issued against Deepak, and multiple police teams are searching for him based on specific leads in different cities. The remaining 12 adult accused are in judicial custody, while police have submitted a charge sheet in one of the FIRs. The case came to public attention on Feb 16 when Sarva Samaj members protested at Bijaynagar police station following revelations of alleged sexual abuse and forced religious conversions. The issue triggered widespread shutdowns in Ajmer, Bhilwara, and other cities. DIG Ajmer Om Prakash has formed a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the conversion angle.