The Government Railway Police (GRP) in Manmad and Bhusawal have completed two criminal cases against five madrasa teachers who were detained in May 2023 and accused of trafficking 59 children from Bihar to Maharashtra. The issues were resolved in March 2024, with authorities blaming a “misunderstanding” as the cause of the initial FIR.
Pradnya Saravade, the Director General (DG) of Railways in Maharashtra, confirmed the closure to The Indian Express. The case began on May 30, 2023, when 59 students aged 8 to 17 from Bihar’s Araria area traveled by rail to Pune and Sangli to study Islamic theology at madrasas. Following a tip-off from a senior officer affiliated to the juvenile justice board in Delhi and the Railway Board, the Railway Protection Force (RPF), coupled with an NGO, “rescued” the children at Bhusawal and Manmad stations.
Officials sheltered the children in shelter homes in Nashik and Bhusawal for 12 days after suspecting them of being trafficked for child labour. Parents were enraged by the detention and demanded their children’s return, causing the Nashik district administration to take them back to Bihar.
During the inquiry, GRP officials went to Araria to verify the accused’s and children’s certificates, as well as to investigate the madrasas where the children were meant to be studying. “After thorough investigation, we determined there was no human trafficking and filed a ‘C-Summary’ closure report with the court,” said Inspector Sharad Jogdand of Manmad GRP. Inspector Vijay Gherade of Bhusawal GRP confirmed this, noting that they had also submitted a C-Summary closure report.
The five madrasa representatives accompanying the children—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)—were arrested under sections 370 (trafficking of persons) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.
Despite being exonerated of criminal records, the five teachers are reported to have faced serious social and psychological tension as reported. The teachers, who were represented by Advocate Niyaz Ahmed Lodhi, requested that the FIRs be quashed in the Bombay High Court. He urged that teachers seek compensation for the harassment by the police and advocated for better police training to prevent similar events, which waste time and money and undermine the department’s credibility.
