While the CID claims it is still investigating matters, affected families hold on to hope and several of the accused – said to have political connections – are out on bail.
Jalpaiguri: It has been over eight years since Kajal Basfor last saw her son, Ganesh. In 2016, Ganesh ran away after facing his mother’s scolding and a beating. As per the Child Helpline record, he was found at New Jalpaiguri Station in North Bengal, following which the police took him to a temporary shelter.
Kajal came to Jalpaiguri hoping for a reunion, but was instead locked up at a shelter home called Ashraya. Her three-year-old daughter Dipali was forcefully taken away to another shelter home, Bimala Shishu Griha. While Kajal was released after a few days, Dipali was held captive at the home.
Seeking help, Kajal and her husband approached the Jalpaiguri Child Welfare Centre and the district collector. The Child Welfare Centre clarified that two members of the Child Welfare Committee, seeing Kajal’s emotional state, deemed her unfit to raise a child, leading to their separation.
Kajal finally got to reunite with her daughter after a few months, but the search for Ganesh is still on. “They returned my daughter as she looks a lot like me. I heard that my son is living at a home, but I am yet to meet him,” said Kajal, who lives in Birpara, around 63 km from Jalpaiguri town in West Bengal.