Assam’s Darrang police on Tuesday have busted a racket of illicit child trafficking while rescued a new born and arrested three persons including a temporary staff of Mangaldai Civil Hospital.
Police could unearth this illegal racket with support from several child care stake holders including District Child Protection Unit (DCPU), Child Welfare Committee (CWC), local NGO and more importantly socially sensitive local youths.
Talking to Northeast Now on Tuesday, officer in charge of Sipajhar Police Station, inspector Biswajit Deka had guided investigation police team following a letter from DCPU to the superintendent of police Darrang on July 31 last and subsequent FIR by CWC, said, “It was an incident of sexual assault on a minor girl of poor family and residing in a remote village under my police station.”
“The prime accused and the mother of the minor girl first took the pregnant minor to Mangaldai Civil Hospital for delivery. But doctor finding the patient to be a minor and suspecting it to be police case refused to act. Then a familiar face in the hospital vicinity came to their contact and guided them to his residence in Dhula where delivery was conducted,” Inspector Deka added.
Similarly sub-inspector Nuruddin Ahmed, the investigating officer said, “A case is registered under the POCSO Act 2012 and arrested the prime accused Jonai Momin (45) @Marak of Ganesh Kuwari, Sipajhar and on the basis of his statement arrested Sahajuddin Sheikh (55)@Boltu, a temporary staff of Mangaldai Civil Hospital and his wife Asma Begum (40) both residents of village Paniakhat under Dhula Police Station. The parents whom the baby was earlier handed over, surrendered it to us in the Mangaldai court campus on Monday afternoon.” Even though it was not clear from the version of the police officer since how long the Illegal practice has been on in that centre at Dhula, it was shocking to know from him that the minor was made to take some mixture juice for delivery, the police officer said.
“The fifteen-year-old survivor minor in her statement said that she was given some locally made drinks for delivery,” he added.
Meanwhile, socially sensitive local youths who had come forward seeking justice to the minor and punishment to the perpetrators of the Illegal practices on condition of anonymity altogether have praised Purnima Goswami, a member of CWC and child right NGO Crystal Vision and police for handling the issue till the end in a delicate but professional manner.