Month on, 14-year-old Faridabad child restored to family

More than a month after he was found alone near Gurdwara Bangla Sahib, 14-year-old Narendra (name changed), who had reportedly separated from his parents on September 17, has been restored to his family in Faridabad.

This correspondent had found Narendra on the evening of September 17 after he approached people near the gurdwara asking for food. He was taken to the langar, after which a call was placed to the 1098 helpline. The call was routed to 112 under the post-merger system, following which police personnel arrived and took him to the police station. He was produced before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) the next day.

When first questioned by the CWC and the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU), the child stated that he had travelled from Bihar with his parents to see the Red Fort and had become separated from them at the New Delhi railway station as they prepared to board a train back home. However, officials noted that his language did not match the region he mentioned, and he was unable to recall the name of his school, village, city or district.

“This was unusual. Children usually remember their school name at least,” an official familiar with the matter said.

After multiple attempts to obtain his details, Narendra was placed at a shelter in central Delhi.

Gradually, over several counselling sessions at the shelter, the child revealed that this was not his first attempt to leave home. He later revealed the names of his parents, their address and phone numbers. A DCPU official said the child wrote these details on a sheet of paper, which enabled the team to contact the family.

“He was very bright. He was in Class IX and was very smart with calculations. He knew everything. His handwriting was also very good,” sources at the DCPU said.

The parents identified the child during a video call facilitated by “My Home India”, an organisation that supports restoration of children who reach shelters.

Aarti Sharma, coordinator with “My Home India”, who supported the restoration, said the child initially withheld information and needed multiple counselling sessions before sharing details.

She said, “Narendra had not attended the school for some time and that certain concerns at home had compelled him to run away.” She said the organisation counselled both the child and the parents before restoration.

On October 28, the CWC issued an order restoring the child to the family. The order stated, “Child has been escorted through ‘My Home India’ to his native place Faridabad. The CWC, Faridabad, report and undertaking by the mother enclosed.”

“A follow-up has been scheduled at the CWC for November 28 to assess the child’s well-being, school attendance and any support, if needed,” Sharma said. “The school has been contacted regarding the continuation of admission,” she added.

“My Home India” has worked with shelters since 2013 and has assisted in restoring more than 3,800 children to their families. The organisation often works on cases where lost children provide only partial information, sometimes only village names, and then coordinates with volunteers to trace their families.

Narendra’s parents had migrated from Bihar and settled in Faridabad long back. His father is a daily-wage worker, whereas his mother is a domestic help.

The case unfolded during The Tribune investigation on transition in child protection systems, following the merger of the 1098 child helpline with the emergency number 112. Under the new emergency routing structure, the police were the first responders in Narendra’s case. In earlier years, calls to 1098 were handled by teams trained specifically for child-related interventions.