December 28, 2014, Maharashtra
A 13-year-old “devdasi” who was repeatedly raped over a period of time by several “religious leaders” in Akole tehsil of Ahmednagar, gave birth to a daughter. The police has arrested four persons. The girl was sold off as a ‘Devdasi’ by her grandmother Leelabai Jadhav when she was one year old. When she was 10, she was taken away to sing in gondhal (night programmes) by prime accused Rajendra Chavan, who was also her “guru” and godfather. She is believed to have been sexually abused by Chavan and many others since she was 10.
http://www.asianage.com/india/raped-13-year-old-devdasi-gives-birth-4-held-552
Despite numerous laws, the Devdasi tradition where daughters are sold into ‘temple prostitution’ continues to flourish in India. For more see this report http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/jan/21/devadasi-india-sex-work-religion
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