Uttar Pradesh: Passenger’s Tweet Helps In Rescuing 26 Minor Girls

“In my coach, there are 25 girls all are juvenile some of them are crying and all feeling insecure”, reads the tweet that saved the lives of 26 underage girls from their worst nightmare.

I am traveling in Avadh express(19040). in s5. in my coach their are 25 girls all are juvenile some of them are crying and all feeling unsecure.@RailMinIndia @PiyushGoyal @PMOIndia @PiyushGoyalOffc @narendramodi @manojsinhabjp @yogi

— Adarsh Shrivastava (@AdarshS74227065) July 5, 2018

It’s important to note that this tweet was not by any celebrity, but by an average, every day Indian who on seeing suspicious activity decided to take action in the best way available to him.

What happened

On July 5, Adarsh Shrivastava was travelling aboard the Muzaffarpur-Bandra Avadh Express, when he noticed these underage girls, visibly upset, scared and uncomfortable. According to ANI, he immediately tweeted about his suspicion with all the relevant information required, tagging the Railway Minister of India. What ensued was a well-planned course of action by the railway authorities that saved the life of those helpless girls.

What ensued

According to The Quint Mr.Shrivastava’s tweet was immediately noticed and picked up by the officials in Varanasi as well as Lucknow, and within half an hour of the tweet an investigation into the matter was launched, a railway spokesperson said. The GRP (Government Railway Police) of Gorakhpur, anti-trafficking unit of Police and Childline all worked together and coordinated a rescue mission. Two RPF jawans in civilian clothes boarded the train at Kaptanganj and escorted all 26 girls along with the two men with them to Gorakhpur.

The aftermath

The girls are considered to be between 10- 14 yrs of age, reports Hindustan Times. A statement from RPF quotes “ 26 girls were found with two men, aged 22 and 55 years. All of them are from West Champaran in Bihar. The girls were being taken from Narkatiaganj to Idgah. When questioned the girls were unable to answer anything convincingly, so they have been handed over to the child welfare committee. Their parents have been informed, and the men have been taken into custody.”

Chairman Railway Board Ashwani Lohani, in June 2018 had launched an awareness campaign for the protection of children coming in contact with railways either as passengers or abandoned, trafficked or runaway children separated from their families. At the event, Ashwani elaborated on the initiative by saying, “This campaign has been launched to address the issue of protection of children across the entire railway system and to sensitise all stakeholders, passengers, vendors, porters. Currently, the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Railways to ensure Care and Protection of Children in contact with Railways is successfully implemented at 88 stations. Now, we intend to implement in 174 stations.”

The Logical Indian Take

Such initiatives are required to spread awareness and help vulnerable children and distressed families in Search of missing children. Ashwin Shrivastava’s actions, the tweet and the ensuing events show that every ordinary person has in him/ her the power and the resources to help and ensure that justice is served. Swift action taken in time have saved the life of not just 26 girls, but their families as well. Such timely actions by the citizens and the authorities will undoubtedly bring about more positive change in our society.

Also Read: Tripura: Father-Daughter Duo’s Presence Of Mind Averts Major Train Accident, Authorities Promise Reward

Also published on Medium.