Wards found, and afterwards

Jupinderjit Singh

Lost and found is a theme that is not unique to just Hindi films. The reality is more grim in the world outside with lakhs of children going missing but only some getting the chance to unite with their families. Take the case of Anil. He was barely nine and illiterate when he went missing over two years ago. Earlier this week, the anti-human trafficking unit of the Panchkula Police was able to unite him with his family. Anil, once illiterate, has  a certificate of having passed class III exam, in his kitty. His daily-wager mother is now sending him to his elder sister, who lives in Benares after her marriage so that he can continue his studies.

Siblings Kalyani and Johny, recovered from Gurdwara Nada Sahib by the same unit a year ago, have also started studying. They were orphans and had studied a little. Kalyani (10) has appeared in her class V exam.

These children are among those who go missing in India every year. From being lost, they are now on the path of development, thanks to workers and some dutiful cops, whose mission it is to trace their parents.

When Anil went missing, it didn’t create much fuss in the slum near Saketri village where, he along with his five elder siblings and parents, lived in shanties.

It actually didn’t matter much to most if he was around or was missing. His father was on the death-bed due to liver damage caused by excessive drinking. He passed away a week after Anil went missing. His mother, who also can’t sleep without drinking, cried for a short while. But she didn’t approach the police or any agency for help, fearing the men in khaki and also her inability to pay them for the job.

Without making efforts to find him, she went to her village near Benares with her children, returned some months later, but still no search was undertaken. All this while, Anil was living in Snehalaya near Maloya village, just 15 km away. 

Now, united with her son, Raj Kumari has no fear of cops. “They are actually nice people,” she said. She ekes out a living, washing utensils at Mangu’s Punjabi Vaishno Dhaba in Mansa Devi. Life seems to have taken a turn for the good as Anil’s recovery has changed her outlook on life. “Only my eldest daughter studied up to the middle school level.  She is married in Benares. Anil learnt to read and write and also passed class III exam. He wants to study further. My eldest daughter has called him to stay with her. She will help him  pursue his dream.”

“It was a blessing in disguise for Anil as he took to studying,” says Assistant Sub-Inspector Rajesh Kumar, in charge of  the Panchkula unit. Quoting the slogan of the National Centre for Missing Children, the officer says such kids need help, “A missing child is counting on each of us.”

“Children found abandoned often end up at such help centres if they still have some luck. Others end up asking for alms after losing a limb or two. Or worst, they become a victim of child abuse or trafficking. He ended up at the home for  abandoned children, probably helped by some cops or good samaritans who found him. Our cell keeps meeting such kids to try and trace them.”

ASI Rajesh Kumar said: “The ones who run away from their home don’t reveal their address. It is only after regular counselling that they drop some hints.”

With ASI Mukesh Rani, who sweet-talks the kids into revealing their address or hint at it, the cell has traced some missing kids.

She and the other team members found Anjali from the Ambala railway station. Nearly 16 and mentally challenged, Anjali has learnt to stitch clothes at Prabh Asra Centre. Another girl, Kajal, found from Ambala, is learning alphabets and will go to  school soon.

Since January 2016, the anti-human trafficking unit has united about 50 kids with their parents. “It is a momentous task,” said Rajesh Kumar. He is on his way to Dehradun today to trace the roots of three kids who may belong to that city.

“Last week, we were in Dehradun with 15-year-old Rahul, who had run away from home some 10 years ago. He stayed in different homes before his case was notified at the Children’s Welfare Centre of the police. He remembered little but it proved to be enough. He recognised an older cousin.” 

The joy of uniting a missing child with his parents moves the cops as well. Alarmed at the large number — some 10 lakh per annum, claims the National Centre of Missing Children — the Supreme Court had in October, 2014 ordered the state police to give special attention to tracing the missing kids.