Accused Pastor Jacob to appear in Dimapur court today
Source: Hueiyen News Service / Newmai News Network
Dimapur, September 16 2014:
Pastor Jacob John, the main accused in the 2013 Jaipur child trafficking case, will be produced in a court in Dimapur tomorrow (September 17) for a hearing.
Pastor Jacob John is currently lodged in the Dimapur Jail after he was arrested in March last year.
In March, 2013, 53 children from Manipur, Nagaland and elsewhere were rescued from two homes in Jaipur run by Pastor Jacob John by Tangkhul Shanao Long, Delhi (TSLD) or Tangkhul Women Union along with others.
These children had been trafficked from the North-East in batches, some having lived there for almost ten years.
They were brought with promise of free stay and education.
The condition in which they were found and the stories the children shared were disturbing.
The identities of all the children were changed.
As many as 8 children were found with severe leg deformity that requires medical aid and surgery.
They used to be brutally beaten up and often made to starve.
The young children were shown a picture of a school but were never sent to any school.
They were never allowed to go out and 29 girls were kept in a room without electricity and a broken toilet.
They were not allowed to contact their families without supervision.
There were reported incidents of sexual abused on children, some of them as young as 9 years old.
Tangkhul Shanao Long Delhi (TSLD) has been part of the battle against Human Trafficking specially children.
The accused, Jacob John was arrested in March 2013 and is currently lodged in Dimapur Jail.
The hearing of the case is going on, and the next date of hearing is September 17, 2014 .
Meanwhile, TSLD appeals to the Government of Nagaland, and also the civil societies to help seek justice for the children.
"We appeal specially to Naga Mother's Association (NMA) to collaborate and cooperate with us and continue to follow up with the case.
We also sincerely request Naga Hoho and Naga Students' Federation (NSF) to extend all possible support," it said.