CM rubbishes girl trafficking reports, transfers Shillai SDM

Tribune News Service

Shimla, December 3

Taking serious note of the highly objectionable and defamatory reports of the alleged trafficking of girls from the Shillai and Trans-Giri areas of Sirmaur district, the government today issued a show-cause notice for charge-sheeting Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Vikas Shukla and transferred him with immediate effect.

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh strongly came out against the reports that there was alleged trafficking of girls from the areas and warned that such highly objectionable and defamatory reports would not be tolerated. “The conspiracy to defame the state and its daughters won’t be tolerated at all and the officials should have taken action to prevent attempts to bring disrepute to the state,” he warned.

Locals, including a large number of women in Shillai and Paonta Sahib, today took out a protest march against maligning the image of the area with such derogatory reporting. Gireesh Saklani, Assistant Settlement Officer, Arki, has been posted as the SDM, Shillai.

“Fabricated and frivolous series of news of the so-called trafficking has hurt the sentiments of the people of the state, particularly the residents of Sirmaur district, as no such case has come to the notice of the police and no case has been registered,” he said. He added that such reports were deceptive and had deeply hurt the women in Shillai and Trans-Giri.

“Those circulating such news owe an apology to the people of the area for their unethical reporting and the defamatory language which has hurt the honour of the people of the state, particularly women and girls,” he stated. He said chairperson of the State Women Commission visited the area and found no truth in allegations.

Virbhadra went on to add that as far as the news of backwardness of the area was concerned, Shillai was well-connected with roads and had 100 per cent electrification. “Students from the Shillai area are studying among others in the three colleges at Shillai, Kaffota and Aanj Bhoj and the percentage of girls studying in these colleges is about 80 per cent,” he said. He added that Shillai was the best example where the girls had outnumbered boys in school and colleges.

He said in Government Senior Secondary School, Shillai, out of 918 students, 600 were girls and similarly in Shillai Government Degree College, there were 546 girls out of 834 students. “The initiatives of the government to educate girls in remote areas have been a success,” he said.