By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter
Kolkata: 62 children were taken into custody on Sunday after Government Railway Police suspected that they were being trafficked. The children were all Muslims and going from Purnia in Bihar to enroll in a madrasa in Maharashtra. They were accompanied by their teacher Hajjan Ahmed Shaikh who was detained by the police.
Speaking to TwoCircles.net, Inspector of Sealdah Railway Police Station Chandan Ghosh that children were from Purnia and boarded the train from Katihar railway station. Someone called the Child Care Help Line 1098 and said that a group of children are being trafficked. The GRP force boarded the train at Sealdah station when Katihar Express reached the station on Sunday morning.
Chandan Ghosh informed TCN that they found that children were students of a madrasa in Purnia district of Bihar and going to Pune in Maharashtra to admit in a theological madrasa. They were headed to Howarah to catch Azad Hind Express. “They had valid reservation ticket and local Identity card of local madrasa, but about 20-25 children didn’t have parent’s consent letter,” informed Inspector Ghosh.
Child Welfare Committee was called and it was decided to send all the children to a juvenile home. Children are of age 5 to 14 years. There is only one girl among this group of 62 children. CWC chairperson Indrani Guha said, they have started investigating about this matter.
Teacher Hajjan Ahmed was let go on Sunday evening to bring proper documents. Ahmed, who had studied at a madrasa in Zakaria Street near Nakhoda Masjid in Kolkata, reached Kolkata and told his contacts about this incident.
A protest rally was quickly organized on Monday after zuhar prayers at Rajabazar Crossing.
Hajjan Ahmad told TwoCircles.net that all students come from a very poor economic background. Parents of some work as daily laborers while others work in agricultural fields. They do not have the capacity to bear the cost of the education for their children. They agreed to send their children to Madrasa Arabia Faizi-e-Muhammad at Satara in Maharasthra.
Ahmed said, `We could not shows 20 children’s parents consent, but except that, all the proper documents were presented to the police official and Children welfare officer. However they deny to release even those that do have the consent letter and handed over to NGO all the children.”
Hajjan also said Madrassa Arabia Faizi-e-Muhammadi authority was given him responsibility to bring the poor and orphans. He said this unfortunate incidents will scare parents to send their children in future, which means they will not have access to free education and food.
Protest
To demands the release of all the children form the Juvenile Home protest demonstration was held at Rajabazar crossing around 2pm on Monday. Nearly 5 thousand people and madrassa students gathered to protest against GRP and CWC personalities. Hajjan Ahmed also participated in the protest. He showed all the students identity and other documents except some childrens parent’s consent letter.
Maulana Siddiqullah Chowudhury of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind sent a delegation to meet with GRP police office at Sealdah. On behalf of Rabeta Madarise Arabia a four members delegated leading by Mufti Abdus Salam meet GRP officer Chandan Ghosh. Around 7pm Abdus Salam told TCN that, GRP assured him, children will be released soon.
All India Minority Youth Federation protested in front of ` Kishalaya Home’ at Barasat city on Monday after noon. A delegate’s team meet with the superintendent of the Home. On behalf of MYF Muhammad Kamruzzaman told TCN that, the superintendent of the home S Mondal informed him in the evening they will get released.
But around 8pm again TCN called to Chandan Ghosh GRP officer at Sealdah and he said, all the children reached in Kolkata and they will sent back to Purnia. Under the supervision of GRP a team from CWC will carry them to hand over to CWC in Purnia. In this regards Coordinator of Kolkata CWC Dilip Bose said, CCWC of Purnia will take them to their parent.
Maulana Siddiqullah Chowdhury said, GRP should allow the children to study in Maharastra Madrassa, otherwise they will drop out. He also said, if any doubts, police of CWC members can go with the children to visit the Madrassa. It is may discourage the guardian who are economically weak and may stop their children’s study.
Maulana Muhammad Shafik, Grand Imam of Nakhoda Mosque and Maulana Siddiqullah Chowdhury appealed to the people to keep peace and do not vanalize in the name of protest.
The protest and road blocks created panic in Kolkata and situation quickly turned to communal tension. According to Joint CP of Kolkata Police Rajeev Mishra, security personnel have been deployed all over the city and situation is normal. Source said, some people set fire to a car at Rajabazar area.
In the evening office of the Chief Minister, Ms. Mamata Banerjee confirmed that children were not trafficked and they will be soon returned to their parents in Purnia. Around mid-night agitators withdrew.
A number of Muslim children from poorer Eastern India study in madrassas of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and even Kerala. Just last year a group of children from Malda faced similar situation when they were going to join a madrassa in Kerala. They were detained by the police and later dropped out of education altogether.
