Community leaders warn about confrontationist approach
By Zaidul Haque, TwoCircles.net,
Kolkata: Even as the 62 children from Bihar intercepted by railway police at Sealdah on way to Maharashtra were sent back to their hometown, intellectuals from the community have appealed for not resorting to road blocks or rampage at the slightest occasion.
Sunday through Monday, a lot of drama ensued in Sealdah area when these 62 Muslim children were taken into custody on Sunday after Government Railway Police suspected that they were being trafficked on Sunday. Thousands of community members had resorted to road blockage, rampage and vehicle burning etc. to protest the police and administration move on Monday. The drama had lasted till late into the night.
The children, most of them from poor families, were going from Purnia in Bihar to enroll in a orphanage madrassa in Maharashtra. They were accompanied by their teacher Hajjan Ahmed Shaikh. Chandan Ghosh, inspector of Sealdah Railway Police Station, had told that the group had valid reservations and even identity cards of local madrassa, but about 20-25 children didn’t have parents’ consent letter.
Arup Ghosh, DSP of GRP at Sealdah station and Indrani Guha, Child Welfare Committee (CWC) chairperson had told TCN all children reached Purnia station under CWC custody where CWC of Purnia district will hand over children to their respective parents.
Ajman Sheikh, uncle of one of the children, told TCN on phone on Tuesday, that parents in Purnia received calls from police that their (respective) children had returned and requested them to take the children back. Sheikh, a resident of Saraveli village of under Amar Kotha police station, said, more than 32 children had gone to Kolkata from Saraveli village for further studies in Maharashtra.
“All the parents are very poor. Somehow they had managed ticket fare. Now, the parents have lost money and also the chances for their children to study free of cost at Maharashtra. Who will give the compensation now?” he fumed.
He also said, parent have anxiety about their children. “They decided to avoid such harassment and now plan never to send their children to study in other states. Now, once the children are back, they are most likely to work in shops as child labour. It seems their future will be in dark.”
Community leaders condemn agitation
Criticising Monday agitation, Muslim intellectual Abdur Rauf, MP Ahmed Hassan Imran, MP Idris Ali all said, “In the name of protest, there should never be road blockage, especially of all the roads in the locality. Muslims should avoid this kind of agitation.”
Warning how such agitations send out wrong message about the community, Maulana Siddiqullah Chowdhury, General Secretary of Jamiat-e Ulema-e Hind, West Bengal unit, said: “Whenever there is a problem, people should approach the police or the authorities. We should have been able to clarify that these children were going for study. Road blockage etc. will only create problems.”
Related:
Tension in Kolkata following detention of 62 Madrassa going children