THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, June 30: The Railway Protection Force (RPF), Garhwa Road junction post, has so far rescued 14 children in the first six months of this year 2024. Among the 14 rescued, seven were girls. All the 14 were in the age group of 8 to 12. They came from the ordinary middle class.
The 14 rescued were from Daltonganj railway station and Garhwa Road junction under the Dhanbad division of the East Central Railway.
RPF inspector in charge Banarasi Yadav said the rescue of 14 children is from January to June 2024. However, April month didn’t see any case of rescue. It is to be analysed as to why April remained a zero month in terms of rescue.
The RPF here has earned a great name and the trust of the passengers and the common people. Their jawans are passenger-friendly.
The RPF rescues children who are found alone, hungry, nervous and about to be exploited by anyone at any moment. Such children look blank not knowing what their fate is.
Yadav said, “If we are in uniform, such a child gets scared of us but when we are in plain clothes the child takes us for some passenger and tells us about his or her ordeal.”
RPF personnel do duty in plains as it helps them to mingle with the passengers and people faster.
Yadav said, “Among the 14 rescued children, one was of Singrouli, Madhya Pradesh, and the other was of Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh. These two could not explain how they reached Daltonganj railway station.”
There were two others rescued who could not tell from where they came or who their parents were.
Sources in the Daltonganj railway station said, “Among the 14 rescued by the RPF there was a child of Sahibganj in Jharkhand. He had run away from his home and reached Daltonganj.”
“Here in Daltonganj a man got him who used to give him food and a few feet of floor to sleep and instead of it this child used to steal belongings of the passengers in the railway station,” said the railway sources.
“The booty was given to the man who used to have it all and the child was made to content with just 50 rupees per day,” said the railway sources.
The parents of the child in Sahibganj just refused to take him back. He was handed over to the child welfare committee here.
RPF personnel give a human touch to the rescued children. They are given food and water to eat and drink and are motivated to be a good citizen.
RPF and the National Commission for Women have reached an MoU only this March 2024 in their combat against human trafficking where 70 per cent of human trafficking is of girls and women.
RPF sources said this is a major initiative as now the RPF will have the support of the NWC.
The MoU was signed by RPF IG Sarvapriya Mayank and by NCW’s Asholi Chalai.
