CHICAGO: West Bengal Kolkata High Court Justice Dipanker Dutta has ordered that 14 year old minor girl Tuktuki parents will get custody of their daughter and that her study has to be continued with 2 private tutors arranged for her by State for Mathematics and English. She will appear in Secondary examination without attending her school in Mograhat and West Bengal Secondary education will ensure this. He also asked Child Welfare committee to keep vigilance over Tuktuki. The case is covered in detail in NewsX TV report.
The success of this effort was made possible by spontaneous help from so many individuals and institutions. First and foremost it is the Hindu Samhati that brought this case to the attention of the world, supported the family at every step and fought a valiant battle in courts, on streets by even risking their lives.
We are grateful to the efforts of National Commission of Women under leadership of Lalitha Kumarmangalam whose investigation and the report made all the difference in court and was instrumental in recovering Tuktuki and restoring her to her parents. State BJP leadership who gave wide attention to this issue through their efforts deserved to be credited to the success.
We would like to thank NRI Organizations such as Hindu American Foundation (HAF), Dharma Seva Purva Paksha (UK), Global Hindu Heritage Foundation, Viswa Hindu Parishad America (VHPA), and many individuals such as Peggy Shapiro and others across different countries who came forward with their outpouring of support to stand behind the family in their efforts to recover their minor daughter. But for these efforts Tuktuki would have been sold into prostitution either in India or in Middle East by now.
The NCW report stated that Tuktuki was abducted and converted. It recommended a CBI query in the case. They have reported police inaction and gross indifference of the state. “While this may be news to some, this is the daily struggle many minor girls and their families,”, responded Dev Dutta of Hindu Samhati who stood with the family throughout the episode to the news media.
Per UN report, 28,000 girls went missing in just one year in West Bengal. Investigative reporter Ross Kemp in Telegraph UK reports an interview with one Khan revealing how he human trafficked thousands of minor girls and lost count of the girls he killed.
The situation is tragic and Hindu Samhati says they receive daily requests from panic stricken parents requesting help to recover their daughters.
The Delhi Police report that busted West Bengal Human Trafficking gang reports how minor girls are targeted and enticed with purpose of conversion and sale into sexual slavery (prostitution) for just Rs 60,000 to Rs 1,00,000 per girl. The horrendous situation of thousands of girls in West Bengal for more than a decade is no different from the fate of Yezidi girls facing sexual slavery under ISIS in Iraq/Syria. It is matter of utter disgrace that this is happening even in a democratic India today.
While the HC judge has considered the various interests of Tuktuki in his judgment, NCW and Hindu Samhati still need to request the court for a CBI query into the matter, as recommended by NCW in its report. Those who abducted and converted Tuktuki are still free and as court itself acknowledged there is risk to family as well as other minor girls in the future.
Police inaction and indifference under the State administration that is causing this horrific human rights abuses needs to be investigated. While the court addressed the education of Tuktuki, her brother and sister, who cannot any more live in Mograhat also need support in education.
Tuktuki’s family who cannot anymore go back to their village needs to be compensated for their loss and severe trauma. The court needs to appoint an independent body under its supervision in the State to address the plight of thousands of minor girls, kidnapped, gang raped and sold into prostitution.
Save West Bengal Daughters welcomes all who would like to contribute in terms of intellectual efforts, research, preparing videos, posters on the kidnapping, rape, conversion and trafficking of thousands of daughters from West Bengal each year.
We urge you to contact SaveWestBengalDaughters@gmail.com . For those who want to help people on ground please contact Hindu Samhati which is helping to recover these daughters, using email hindusamhati@gmail.com.
Madhu Patel
