Madrasa Teachers Cleared of Child Trafficking Charges After Wrongful Arrest

The Government Railway Police (GRP) in Manmad and Bhusawal have closed two criminal cases against five madrasa teachers arrested in May 2023 on charges of trafficking 59 children from Bihar to Maharashtra, allegedly for child labor. Authorities concluded that the FIRs were lodged due to a "misunderstanding," confirmed by Maharashtra Director General (DG) Railways Pradnya Saravade, reported by Indian express. 

The incident occurred on May 30, 2023, when 59 children, aged 8 to 17, from Bihar’s Araria district, were traveling by train to Pune and Sangli to study Islamic theology in madrasas. Acting on information from a senior officer linked to the juvenile justice board in Delhi and the Railway Board, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and an NGO "rescued" the children at Bhusawal and Manmad stations, suspecting they were being trafficked for child labor. The children were housed in shelter homes in Nashik and Bhusawal for 12 days before being escorted back to Bihar following demands from their parents.

The five madrasa representatives accompanying the children were arrested and charged under sections 370 (trafficking of persons) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code. They were identified as Sangli resident Mohammed Anjur Alam Mohammed Syed Ali, 34, and Araria residents Saddam Hussain Siddiqui, 23, Noman Alam Siddiqui, 28, Ezaj Ziyabbul Siddiqui, 40, and Mohammed Shahnawaz Haroon, 22.

During the investigation, GRP officers verified the credentials of the accused and the children by visiting Araria and inspecting the madrasa where the children were supposed to study. They found no evidence of human trafficking and filed 'C-Summary' closure reports in court, clearing the five teachers of all charges.

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Despite being exonerated, the teachers faced severe personal repercussions. Mohammed Shahnawaz Haroon described the social and psychological suffering caused by the false accusations, noting that his family was so distressed they urged him to cancel plans to work in Saudi Arabia. Saddam Hussain Siddiqui shared that although he had Aadhaar cards for the children and offered to connect the police with their parents via video call, the police demanded an authority letter, which he did not have, causing significant distress to his family.

Advocate Niyaz Ahmed Lodhi, representing the teachers, said they had sought the quashing of the FIRs in the Bombay High Court. He suggested that the teachers should demand compensation for the harassment caused by the police’s actions and called for better training for the police to prevent such incidents, which waste time and resources and affect the credibility of the department.

A senior GRP officer defended their initial action, stating that FIRs were filed based on complaints from RPF officials and NGOs, and they had to respond to the suspected human trafficking of 59 children. Once it was clear no offense had occurred, the charges were dropped.