Treated ‘worse than animals’: thousands of Indian women feared trapped in ashrams

Source: The Guardian

By  in Delhi

An aerial view of Delhi
 Delhi authorities say thousands more women could be living in the estimated 300 properties linked to the group Adhyatmik Vishwa Vidyalaya nationwide. Photograph: David Pearson/Alamy 

Neither the din of traffic nor the roar of aircraft from a nearby airport could blot out the screams neighbours say they regularly heard from the apartment building in west Delhi.

On Saturday, on the second floor of the unassuming complex in Mohan Garden, authorities discovered 21 women and children living in a heavily fortified “spiritual university”, at least five believed to be minors.

Raids across India in the past week on properties linked to the same religious organisation, Adhyatmik Vishwa Vidyalaya (AVV), have unearthed nearly 250 women and 48 girls apparently confined behind layers of locked gates.

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Categories: Asia, India, The Muslim Times

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