ꦏIn North Kashmir, a Chief Judicial Magistrate Baramulla has convicted a faith healer of sexually abusing children stating that the man Aijaz Ahmad Sheikh’s claims that a Djinn had assaulted the kids was proved false beyond any reasonable doubt.
💟The Court said Sheikh misused his religious influence and faith healer status to exploit vulnerable children. “The offense was not an isolated incident but a pattern of repeated abuse, extending over a period of years. The victims have suffered severe emotional and psychological trauma, as evident from their testimonies, said Judge Mir Wajahat.
༺The court was hearing two cases against Sheikh dating back to March 2016. During the hearing of the case, the magistrate had also ordered the police to register five more FIRs for five other survivors.
ꦍWhile convicting Sheikh guilty of committing unnatural offenses punishable under Section 377 RPC “effecting the body, mind and soul,” the Court said Sheikh exploiting the child’s vulnerability under the guise of offering blessings.
𒈔“By dominating their will, manipulating their psyche, and exerting control, he subjected their bodies, minds, and souls to persistent acts of brutality over the years, shrouding his crimes in ostentation while inflicting upon them the unbearable shame of his misconduct,” said the court.
𒁃The survivor had filed his complaint with the Police Station in Bomai in Sopore on March 2, 2016. The complaint said that a child had been sexually abuse by Sheikh, who is a Moulvi and Pir. The facts came to light when the child refused to visit Pir and told his father his experience of assault.
🐎The complainant, the survivor’s father, said that, following the cleric’s instructions, he took his son to the accused’s home regularly from 2013 to 2017, believing the child would communicate with the Djinn. Then, after four years, the child refused to visit him. When questioned as to his refusal, the child said that the Pir Baba had subjected him to abuse and committed acts of unnatural intercourse.
𝔍The police filed the FIR and the Superintendent of Police (Sopore) constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to ensure a thorough investigation of the multiple allegations of sexual abuse.
🌟The SIT, comprising senior investigating officers, child protection officers, and forensic experts, was tasked with collecting material evidence, recording witness statements. During the course of investigation, the statements of key witnesses were recorded under Section 164-AJ & K CrPC before a Magistrate to ensure evidentiary integrity. The SIT filed a chargesheet June 15, 2017 under Section 377 RPC before the competent court.
▨During the investigation, it was found that Sheikh allegedly sexually assaulted victims, penetrating them after spitting on their anus. He would cover their mouths with his left hand to silence their screams. Victims suffered severe pain from the assaults.
𝓰Sheikh repeatedly invoked the presence of a Djinn, leading victims to believe the entity, not him, was responsible. After each incident, he would return to his "human form" and ask the survivor if the DDjinn had harmed them. When one denied it, Sheikh insisted on inspecting the survivor’s body, even lighting a candle to do so, then saying Djinn has done any wrong with the survivor. “But the accused used to do this himself and then used to do drama,” the Court observed.
𝄹A survivor testified that he was a sixth-grade student when he first met the accused, Sheikh, through his father, who regularly visited him for spiritual guidance. Concerned about his son’s fear of the night, the father took him to Sheikh for help. According to the victim, Sheikh took him to a separate room and claimed that Djinn's shadow loomed over him. He instructed the boy to close his eyes, then pretended to be possessed by the Djinn. Speaking as the Djinn, Sheikh asked the victim about his fears. Afterward, Sheikh told the victim’s father that the boy needed to stay at his house overnight for treatment. The father complied and left his son there.
💦The survivor further stated that two other boys were already present in the house-one older and one younger than him. During the night, Sheikh allegedly ordered the victim to sexually assault the younger boy. Shocked, the victim refused. Sheikh then accused him of being gay and questioned him about prior sexual experiences. Despite the pressure, the victim did not comply. The victim further testified that Sheikh then sexually assaulted the younger boy in his presence, causing the child to cry. Sheikh told the victim that unless he participated, the Djinn would not be pleased and would not help him. He then ordered the younger boy to assault him, and the child complied. The next morning, the victim returned home and told his father he would not go back, describing Sheikh as "not a good person" before revealing the abuse.
ꩵThe Court ended the judgment with a long poem penned by judge himself. He said: “But truth will rise, the stars will call, No shadow stands where justice falls.”
