Parents in Bihar are alleging faith bias after their children were detained on suspicion of child trafficking, asserting they were travelling to madrassas with proper documentation and consent.
Key Points
- Parents in Bihar claim their children were wrongly accused of child trafficking while travelling to madrassas in Maharashtra and Karnataka.
- The Railway Protection Force detained 163 minors and arrested eight people for allegedly travelling without valid tickets and documents.
- Parents allege the children were targeted due to their faith and demand a fair probe into the matter.
- The children were released after two weeks in shelter homes following intervention from local organisations.
- Parents are demanding compensation for the children and those arrested, as well as a standard operating procedure to prevent similar incidents.
Weeks after 163 minors from Bihar were rescued in Madhya Pradesh's Katni on suspicion of being trafficked for "child labour", their parents have claimed the children were travelling to madrassas in Maharashtra and Karnataka with their teachers.
One of the parents alleged that the children were targeted because of their faith.
Acting on a tip-off, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the Government Railway Police (GRP) on April 11 detained the children and arrested eight people, who officials said were travelling on the Patna-Purna Express without valid tickets and documents.
Child Trafficking Case: Allegations and Arrests
The GRP have registered a case under BNS section 143(4) (trafficking of a child below the age of eighteen years) against the eight accused.
After spending two weeks in shelter homes in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur and Katni, the children were handed over to their parents on Saturday.
Addressing a press conference in Araria on Monday, a group of parents termed the case "fabricated" and demanded a fair probe into the matter and compensation for the children and those arrested.
Parents Demand Fair Probe and Compensation
They also demanded that a standard operating procedure be framed to deal with such cases.
"The children were travelling voluntarily to study in three madrassas in Maharashtra and Karnataka, accompanied by teachers. They had valid train tickets, documents, and parental consent letters," the parents said.
"There was no concrete evidence with the administration to justify the suspicion. Without the help from local organisations, securing the children's release would have taken longer," Shaukat, an aggrieved parent, said. "The incident has severely impacted the children's education."
Impact on Education and Future Arrangements
Bibi Anjuman of Kundlipur village in Araria said that her three grandchildren study in a madrassa in Karnataka's Bidar as they get food, lodging, and proper education facilities there. "Similar arrangements should be provided in Araria as well," she demanded.
Describing the incident as unfortunate, Qazi Atiqullah of Imarat-e-Sharia said, "It is unfortunate that the administration has neither expressed regret nor withdrawn the case."
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