They go to work in metros, never return

RANCHI, March 2: The Nithari killings have opened a can of worms. Every state is now looking for its missing children. The Jharkhand police too, is fumbling for answers to the rise in incidence of missing children. This, in fact is a queer phenomenon to have gripped this part of the erstwhile state of Bihar (now Jharkhand) since the early 1990s. Till now, the state police passed it of as trafficking of girls and refused to see more into it.

• Poonam, the 10-year-old daughter of Bigna Oraon of Bakhar village (Jharkhand) is missing since 15 February, 2004. Though he lodged a complaint with the local police immediately, his daughter is still untraceable.

• Jabar Munda’s 14-year-old daughter, Gangi Purtilodged went missing on August 23, 2003. Though the Akri police station (Jharkhand) registered an FIR, there has been no headway in the case.

• Fifteen-year-old Sarsawati, daughter of Ramnagina Hembrom of Kisku village (Lohardaga district in Jharkhand) did not return from school on May 14,2003. Even though the father promptly filed a complaint, he is yet to hear from the police.

• Ashok Soy’s, 16-year-old daughter Rukmini Tirkey went missing from near the well where she had gone to fill water on February 12,2002. Even after five years, the Chakardharpur police station (West Singhbhum district in Jharkhand) has made no headway in the case.

Majority of people here, particularly the Adivasis have very poor living conditions. Sending their children to work as domestic help in metros bought them quick money. Earlier, where they barely managed to make Rs 500-600 per month by doing odd jobs particularly working as part-time labourers, their children were employed for more than double of what they bought home. “This new-form of employment thrown up by metros has led to the rise of missing children,” said RC Kaithal, Additional Director General of Police while speaking to the indian Express. Though on January 25 this year he had directed the superintendents of police to furnish him with data on missing children in Jharkhand, he is yet to hear from them.

Compilation of the complaints have, however, helped the police zero in on the fact that most of the missing girls were in the age group of 8 to 15 and they were either illiterate or school dropouts, employed by agencies to work as domestic help.

Our investigations revealed that Poonam was sent to New Delhi along with two other girls — Sangeeta and Ashok, by Sony, a resident of Piskanagri village (Ranchi district). She liasoned with a domestic help placement agency in the national capital. Though Sangeeta and Ashok returned home a few months later, Poonam is still untraceable. “We lost touch with her,” said Sangeeita when we contacted her. Though we could not contact Sony, she has apparently told the missing girl’s parents that the New Delhi place ment agency was unreachable on the numbers with her.

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