Madrasa teachers cleared of child trafficking charges after wrongful arrest

The Government Railway Police (GRP) of Manmad and Bhusawal have closed two criminal cases against five madrasa teachers arrested in May 2023 for trafficking 59 children from Bihar to Maharashtra, allegedly for the purpose of child labour. Authorities concluded that the FIRs were lodged due to a “misunderstanding”, confirmed by Maharashtra Railways Director General (DG) Pradnya Saravade, reported by Indian Express.

The incident took place on May 30, 2023, when 59 children, aged 8 to 17, from Araria district of Bihar, were traveling by train to Pune and Sangli to study Islamic theology in madrassas. Based on information provided by a senior officer linked to the Delhi Juvenile Justice Board and the Railway Board, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and an NGO “rescued” the children at Bhusawal and from Manmad, suspecting that they were victims of trafficking for child labor. The children were kept in foster homes in Nashik and Bhusawal for 12 days before being taken back to Bihar at the request of their parents.

The five madrasa representatives accompanying the children were arrested and charged under sections 370 (trafficking in persons) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code. They were identified as Mohammed Anjur Alam Mohammed Syed Ali, 34, resident of Sangli, and Saddam Hussain Siddiqui, 23, residents of Araria, Noman Alam Siddiqui, 28, Ezaj Ziyabbul Siddiqui, 40, and Mohammed Shahnawaz Haroon, 22 years old.

During the investigation, GRP officers verified the credentials of the accused and the children by visiting Araria and inspecting the madrasa where the children were supposed to study. They found no evidence of human trafficking and filed “C-Summary” closing reports in court, clearing the five teachers of all charges.

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Although exonerated, the teachers faced serious personal repercussions. Mohammed Shahnawaz Haroon described the social and psychological suffering caused by the false accusations, noting that his family was so distraught that they urged him to cancel his plans to work in Saudi Arabia. Saddam Hussain Siddiqui explained that although he had Aadhaar cards for the children and offered to connect the police with their parents via video call, the police demanded a letter of authority, which he did not have. not, which caused great distress to his family.

Advocate Niyaz Ahmed Lodhi, appearing for the teachers, said they had sought quashing of the FIRs before the Bombay High Court. He suggested that teachers demand compensation for harassment caused by police actions and called for better police training to prevent such incidents, which waste time and resources and affect the department's credibility.

A senior GRP officer defended their initial action, saying the FIRs were filed based on complaints from RPF officials and NGOs, and that they had to respond to suspicions of human trafficking of 59 children . Once it became clear that no offense had been committed, the charges were dropped.