Eight state children rescued from Kerala
Source: Hueiyen News Service / NNN

Imphal, September 16 2011: Eight minor children of the state who were rescued from a Children Home in Kerala by the State Child Welfare Committee have been handed over to their families today.

Manipur has been a soft target for child traffickers who take advantage of decades-old insurgency issue and its inherent contradiction manifested in widespread poverty and destitution across the state.

The eight children were reclaimed from the possession of a trust named Jal Seva Sichu Bhawan located in Kerala whose volunteers rescued the children before being given away to an Islamic seminary by two Muslim youths of Manipur.

According to the children, while they were taken on the pretext of free education, they were engaged in sweeping and cleaning and were beaten if they refused to comply with the orders.

K Pradeep Kumar, secretary, Child Welfare Committee (CWC), Imphal West, told the media that the two Muslim youths namely Shahir Ahmad (25), s/o Najir Khan and Rahis Khan (23), s/o Md Iboyai, both from Khabeisoi Sabal Lekai of Imphal East under Heingang police station had on February led the eight minors to an Islamic seminary called Khadee Jattul Kubra Islamic Trust at Nellor in Kerala in the pretext of providing them free education.

Volunteers of Jal Seva Sichu Bhawan lodged a police complaint and rescued the minors from the clutches of the two traffickers on suspicion of child trafficking after witnessing the children being pushed to begging.

Meanwhile, a custodial battle ensued between Khadee Jattul Kubra Islamic Trust and Jal Seva Sichu Bhawan over the right to the children in the court of chief judicial magistrate of the district in Kerala.

On May 13, Aluvakulum district police chief informed an ADGP of Manipur about the incident after which the ADGP asked officials of state social welfare child committee to take up necessary action of bring back the children.

On April 5, a team of CWC made their first trip to Kerala to get the trafficked children home but had to return back as the case was pending with the chief magistrate court.

Another trip was made by the team on September 4 during which the court ordered for the release of the eight minors.

The team of CWC led by Premjit, member CWC Imphal East reached here on September 12 with four of the eight children while the rest returned with K Maharabi, member of CWC Bishenpur on September 14 .

On September 15, the state social welfare department had doctors examine the eight children before handing them over to their respective family today.

Comment