Charges filed against tribal kids’ 8 escorts

Government Railway Police (GRP) has registered cases against eight people for allegedly taking 60 tribal children to Nagpur for religious conversion.

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) had stopped the children at Ratlam railway station on Sunday after a few right-wing outfits raised suspicion that they were being taken to the Maharashtran city with an aim of converting them to a different religion.

Late on Monday night, the children’s escorts were booked under the MP Freedom of Religion Act, 1968.

“During questioning all the children said they believed in the Bible and were Christian, but they had Hindu names. There is a proper procedure for getting converted, and one has to inform the district collector, which was not done in this case, so we are considering them as Hindus and have booked all their escorts,” Railway SP Krishnaveni Desavatu told Hindustan Times over phone.

According to GRP sources, the children gave contradictory answers during questioning.

“Some said they were going for a summer camp, while some said they were going for a picnic. Their escorts were also giving different statements,” a GRP official investigating the case said.

Rohini, Ratlam railway childline in-charge, said the parents of all the 60 tribal children have turned up before officials and it was now up to the Child Welfare Committee, which was hearing the case, to take a decision.

Sources said in most cases the CWC handed over the children back to the parents with a warning.