THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, Feb 21: A team from the Railway Protection Force (RPF), led by Inspector-in-Charge Banarasi Yadav, rescued two minors late last night at Daltonganj railway station.
The rescued children, both 13 years old—a boy and a girl—belong to two different families. Their timely rescue likely prevented them from falling into the hands of human traffickers.
Runaway Over Family Disputes
Inspector Yadav stated that both minors are students of Class 7 and appear to be doing well in school. They belong to the minority community and are from the Latehar district.
“They ran away from home, claiming that their mothers frequently beat them. On Thursday, after another incident of being beaten, they got angry and decided to leave,” said Yadav.
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A Risky Journey to Delhi
The two had planned to board a train to Delhi. They initially waited for a Delhi-bound train at Latehar railway station but instead boarded an intercity express that arrived.
Fortunately, some alert passengers on the train convinced them to get off at Daltonganj railway station around 10 PM.
Immediate Assistance by RPF
RPF personnel found the minors near the main entrance of Platform 1 and provided them with food and water.
However, a challenge arose when the Daltonganj local child helpline refused to take custody of the rescued minors, stating that children rescued by the RPF must be handled by the RPF itself.
Transferred to Barwadeeh for Safety
According to sources, the two minors were later sent by train under RPF supervision to Barwadeeh railway junction, which has a proper child help desk. They were safely handed over to the Barwadeeh child help desk the same night.
Possible Reason for Child Helpline’s Refusal
Sources suggest that the child helpline’s refusal may be linked to a major case of sexual abuse at a girls’ shelter home in the area a few months ago.
