By Mohd Ismail Khan, TwoCircles.net,
Hyderabad: Residents of Kalapather and Nawab Shah Kunta staged a dharna in front of the ‘transition centre’ of an NGO called Prajwala. According to the local residents this NGO is running a school in the guise of transition centre.
Many Muslim boys and girls of the locality are studying here and now the website contents of this NGO Prajwala, states its motto as protecting the children of prostitutes by providing them good education in the transition centre, thus to save the second generation of prostitutes from getting into the same trade. This NGO runs 17 transition centres across Andhra Pradesh and two are located in old city at Kalapather, and Asadbaba Nagar.
But the fact is that these transition centres, located in the old city area don’t have any prostitute’s children studying in it. In fact those Muslim parents sending their children to this transition centres are not at all aware of the “second generation prostitutes” slogan and theme upheld by the institution.
One parent Mohd Mozam a welder by profession, whose son studies in the Kalapather transition centre said that, at the time of admission parents were asked to sign on blank forms, and majority of them being illiterate weren’t aware of the admission procedures. According to some social workers of the area, the form states that the enrolled student’s mother is a prostitute by profession and as she has no economic means to send her child to good school, her kid is sent to this transition centre.
The local edition of Times of India did an article on “flesh trade thriving in old city” in which this locality was highlighted as the red light area. Taking a note of this article the local social workers were shocked as they found that there is nothing like prostitution in that area. They came to know that it was because of that transition centre working in that locality, the reporter presumed it to be a red light area.
When the local Muslim youths inquired about that transition centre, they came across some shocking facts as well. They found that all the students in that transition centre were Muslims and none among their mothers were found to be prostitutes, in fact their parents were poor but they were hard working wage earners. Poor illiterate parents of that locality were sending their children for free education and this NGO were siphoning funds in the name of protecting them as children of prostitutes.
So some local youths decided to stage a protest before the transition centre against the NGO’s act of defaming poor Muslim women as prostitutes. With this protest the news started spreading like wild fire and crowd started gathering in front of the transition centre. The local MIM corporator Mohd Mubeen and sub-inspector then tried to pacify the crowd and talked to the officials of Prajwala.
Syed Masood, a local resident and social worker who was there in the forefront organising the protest while speaking to TCN said that, this types of NGOs in order to attract funds would go to any extent, as he cited that this NGO was posing those poor, innocent children studying in their transition centre as “second generation of prostitutes”. He demanded immediate police action against Prajwala, for defaming their locality and particularly those righteous of Muslim women.
Mohd Mubeen GHMC councillor of the locality assured the residents that he will talk to top leaders of MIM and strict actions will be taken against the NGO. Sub-inspector of the area assured the residents a thorough and impartial inquiry into the case.
TCN tried to speak with the assistant director of Prajwala, Mrs. Meena Lal but she was reluctant to answer any questions. Caught by surprise she kept on assuring journalists, that their NGO has transparent policies but resisted to answer any of their questions. She was not ready to provide the names of the students studying and details regarding their family background. Besides she wasn’t even ready to show the student admission forms, saying that, she wasn’t authorised to do so.