5 Madrasa Teachers Jailed as Human Traffickers; Police Admit Mistake After 10 Months

New Delhi- On May 30, 2023, acting on confidential information, the police arrested 59 children along with five teachers from Araria, Bihar, who were traveling to Pune and Sangli in Maharashtra.

The teachers were accused of transporting these children without parental consent, leading to charges of human trafficking. The children were sent to Childline, and after spending a month in jail, the teachers were granted bail. However, an investigation revealed a different story. The children were actually going to study in madrasas. The police have now filed a closure report admitting their mistake.

The incident occurred on May 30, 2023. The 59 children, aged between eight and 17, from Araria, Bihar, were traveling with their five teachers to study in madrasas in Pune and Sangli. They were aboard the Danapur-Pune Express when the Government Railway Police (GRP) at Manmad and Bhusawal railway stations in Maharashtra detained them on suspicion of being trafficked for labor.

In Delhi, a senior officer from the Juvenile Justice Board and Railway Board, in collaboration with an NGO, "rescued" the children and arrested the teachers.

At the time of the arrest, RPF officials claimed that the five individuals could not produce documents related to their travel, leading to an FIR under sections 370 (human trafficking) and 34 (common intent) of the Indian Penal Code.

The children were taken to shelter homes in Nashik and Bhusawal for 12 days. Suspecting them of being trafficked, the officials acted on these doubts. When the children's angry parents demanded their return, they were sent back to Bihar by the Nashik district administration.

Upon investigation, it was found that the FIR against the teachers was a result of a misunderstanding. Manmad GRP Inspector Sharad Jogdand stated that there was no case of child trafficking and a closure report was submitted to the court.

Teacher Anzar Alam claims to have spent three months in jail, while his colleagues Saddam Hussain Siddiqui, Noman Alam Siddiqui, Ejaz Jiabul Siddiqui, and Mohammad Shahnawaz Haroon spent 12 days in police custody and 16 days in Nashik jail.