JAIPUR: The state child rights commission has rescued 27 boys from an unregistered ‘ashram’ that was being run in Chomu near Jaipur. All the minor boys are all from the northeast, UP and Nepal. Two boys are yet to be found.
Officials alleged that the ashram was being run by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and they suspect that it is a case of child trafficking. Claiming it to be a tip of an iceberg, officials said possibly the children were brought for child labour as the villagers initially protested and helped two of the 29 boys escape when the child commission’s team reached the ashram, Bharatiya Vidya Niketan, late on Monday night.
Sangeeta Beniwal, chairperson, Rajasthan State commission for Protection of Child Rights (RSCPCR) told TOI, “All the rescued boys are minors and aged between 7 and 16 years. They come from states like Nagaland, Meghalaya and few even from Uttar Pradesh as well as Nepal. We had received complaint about this children’s home and last week had asked the caretaker to come to us with the documentation which we found to be incomplete and decided to inspect the shelter ourselves.”
Beniwal added, “There is involvement of VHP in this shelter and possibly the support of the villagers as well though we are looking at a violation due to non-registration. None of the boys is from Rajasthan.” VHP leaders, on the other hand, alleged that their ‘charitable’ organisation was being targeted. Suresh Upadhyay, a regional minister of the outfit said, “The inspection and transfer of boys from the shelter is illegal as we had previously run schools for children as well and repeatedly asked the child commission to recognise this centre which they failed to do.” Upadhyay added, “We are not running an orphanage and are helping students from the northeast to pursue their studies with the approval of their parents. Apart from this, even local women practice tailoring skills. In fact, the commission’s claim that two boys ran away is untrue as they stayed with their friends in the village.” The child commission chairperson claimed that during the inspection it was found that the boys were staying in a pathetic condition with inadequate diet. “When we went there, we found that few of the boys were working even at that hour and carrying gas cylinders. When asked about it, they told us that the shelter staff beat them up and made them work,” said Beniwal.
She said, “At present 27 boys have been shifted to a shelter in Virat Nagar and after their medical examination, we will speak to them again.”
Officials claimed that there was a larger nexus at work which was getting children from far flung places to push them into child labour. According to the team, the children claimed that they have not spoken to their parents for years but want to do so. The state child commission chairperson has asked for registration of FIR, though, the police are yet to receive a formal complaint.