Seven tribal children, aged between 7 and 12, from Rajasthan’s Udaipur district, were brought from Goa while allegedly being trafficked to Tamil Nadu on the pretext of free education, officials said on Sunday. Authorities are investigating whether there is a larger smuggling network operating in the tribal areas of Rajasthan.
Officials said that two girls and five boys were kidnapped from their villages on July 15 and sent by bus to Ahmedabad in Gujarat state, and then by train to Goa. Investigators suspect they were taken to Tamil Nadu when the railway police intercepted the group after receiving information about a large number of children traveling together.
A joint team of the committee and Udaipur police rushed to Goa after receiving information from their counterparts and brought back the children, said Yashoda Pania, executive member of the Udaipur Child Welfare Committee. “The children are currently being interrogated in the presence of their parents and local villagers. They will be handed over to their families only after the investigation is completed,” Bania said.
Investigators were verifying information suggesting that more than 15 children from Udaipur district may have previously been sent to Tamil Nadu in similar circumstances. Bania said that no case has been registered so far, and the investigation is still ongoing. She added that legal measures will be taken based on the results of the investigation.
Manalal Rawat, a ruling Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Udaipur, has written to Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma and Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking a high-level probe. He called for the formation of a special investigation team. Rawat urged agencies, including the Intelligence Bureau, National Investigation Agency and Central Bureau of Investigation, to examine the case.
Rawat claimed that an active inter-state network could attract poor and tribal children with promises of free education and employment before taking them to other states for religious conversion. He claimed that similar cases had previously emerged in Udaipur, Dungarpur, Kalingara in Banswara, Kanode and other tribal pockets in south Rajasthan.
Referring to statements by political leaders regarding religious conversion and tribal identity, Rawat said such statements deepen social divisions and sectarian tensions. He called for an impartial investigation into all aspects of the case, including the potential involvement of organized groups, non-governmental organizations, inter-state networks and financial ties. Rawat sought strict legal action against anyone found guilty.
The police did not confirm the allegations of the organized religious conversion network between the states. The investigation is at a preliminary stage and all possible angles, including the circumstances under which the children were taken out of Rajasthan, are being examined before any conclusions are drawn, they said.
