Farooq Chishti Wiki, Age, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More

Farooq Chishti is a former Indian politician and Khadim (caretaker) of Ajmer Sharif Dargah. He was one of the main convicts of the Ajmer Rape & Blackmail Case, which happened 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 became active in local politics and became the President of the Indian Youth Congress in Ajmer.

Physical Appearance

Height (approx.): 5′ 7″

Weight (approx.): 70 kg

Hair Colour: Black

Eye Colour: Black

Family

He belongs to the extended family of Khadim of Ajmer Sharif Dargah.

Parents & Siblings

There is not much information about his parents and siblings.

Wife & Children

There are not much details about his wife and children.

Religion

He follows Islam.

Blackmailing Local Girls

In 1990, Gita, a Class 12 student at Savitri School in Ajmer, made up her mind to join the Congress party. Luckily, she came across an acquaintance named Ajay who claimed to know individuals, Nafis and Farooq Chishty, who could help her with her aspirations. While talking to Ajay one day, Gita expressed her desire to get a gas connection. Ajay took advantage of this and introduced her to Nafis and Farooq Chishty, assuring her that they were trustworthy individuals and would help her with any kind of work.

Farooq and Nafis had several encounters with Gita in the presence of Ajay, making promises to secure her a position within the Congress. They even provided her with forms to fill out, including a requirement for a passport-sized photograph. Feeling assured by their actions, Gita didn’t suspect any wrongdoing when Nafis and Farooq offered her a ride one day while she was on her way to school; however, instead of taking her to school, they took her to a farmhouse against her will.

She believed the purpose of this detour was to discuss her involvement in Congress; however, once alone with Nafis, he forcibly assaulted her and threatened her life if she didn’t comply with his demands. Days later, Nafis confronted her again, repeating the threats and warning her of the consequences of speaking out about the assault. This marked the beginning of a series of coercive actions. Gita was manipulated into introducing Nafis and Farooq to other girls, posing as her ‘brothers,’ with the intent of building trust. These girls were lured to gatherings at the farmhouse or Farooq’s bungalow on Foy Sagar Road, referred to as ‘parties.’

Many of these women were subjected to sexual assault by one or multiple perpetrators who often took photos of the assaults as a means of further control and ensuring the survivors’ silence through shame and blackmail. The gang allegedly exploited more than 250 schoolgirls and college girls.

Pictures Leak Lead to the Revelation

The circulation of the sexual assault images took a dark turn when some employees at the photo lab where the pictures were developed began sharing them, further perpetuating the abuse; however, this inadvertently led to the case becoming known to the public. According to journalist Santosh Gupta, Purshottam, a reel developer and one of the accused in the case, boasted about these controversial images, referring to them as “real stuff” to his neighbour, Devendra Jain, while Jain was perusing a pornographic magazine.

Devendra made copies of the pictures and sent them to the local Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) group and the newspaper Dainik Navajyoti. The VHP workers then handed the pictures over to the police, prompting an official inquiry.

Police Investigations & Public Protests

On 21 April 1992, Santosh Gupta, a local reporter, wrote his initial report for Dainik Navajyoti, shedding light on the issue of sexual exploitation; however, it didn’t garner significant attention until the newspaper published a second report on 15 May 1992 which included blurred images of the unclothed survivors, creating an immediate uproar. The shocking revelations and images sparked public anger, leading to a complete shutdown of activities in Ajmer on 18 May as a sign of protest against the heinous crime.

An FIR numbered 90/1992 was filed at Ganj Police Station in Ajmer in 1992 regarding rape and blackmail. On 27 May 1992, the police took a significant step by issuing National Security Act (NSA) warrants against some of the accused involved in the case. Three days later, Hari Prasad Sharma, the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) of North Ajmer, lodged a First Information Report (FIR) at Ganj Police Station. Following this, N.K. Patni, the Superintendent of Police (SP) of the CID-Crime Branch from Jaipur, was sent to Ajmer to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.

Arrest & Release

Out of the eighteen individuals implicated in the case, one of them, Purshottam, died by suicide in 1994. The initial trial involved eight suspects, who were sentenced to life imprisonment by the district sessions 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. Subsequently, the remaining accused were arrested and brought to trial at different intervals over the following decades. Farooq claimed mental incompetence to stand trial; however, in 2007, a fast-track court found him guilty and sentenced him to life imprisonment. In 2013, the Rajasthan High Court determined that he had served a sufficient period and subsequently released him. ^[1]Indian Kanoon ^[2]Indian Kanoon

Life After Release

Following his release, Farooq Chishty has been leading a relatively privileged life in Ajmer. As of 2023, he is known to be a frequent visitor to the Dargah Sharif, where some individuals still engage in the ritual of kissing his hands. The public perception in the city has been critical of Farooq’s treatment, particularly due to his association with the esteemed Khadim family, where he is regarded as a respected elder.

In Popular Media

A web series titled ‘Ajmer 1992,’ based on the 1992 Ajmer Rape Scandal, was announced in 2021. It was scheduled for release in December 2021, but the release was postponed for unknown reasons.  In July 2023, the film Ajmer 92 was released, featuring Karan Verma, Sumit Singh, and Rajesh Sharma; the film was directed by Pushpendra Singh.