Ranchi: Human rights activists from Jan Awaz on Tuesday demanded that heads and members of child welfare committees in Ranchi and Khunti districts, and Khunti social outfit Sahyog Village founder Manjit Singh Pardesi be booked for deaths of three infants among the children "rescued" from Ranchi's Shishu Bhavan, run by Missionaries of Charity, after the baby-sale scandal broke out at its sister organisation Nirmal Hriday last month.

Ranchi child welfare committee forced 22 children, including infants, staying at Shishu Bhavan in Ranchi, to evacuate, and sent eight babies to Khunti's Sahyog Village via the district's child welfare authorities. But, of the eight, three are dead and four are hospitalised, Jan Awaz president Mary Tirkey pointed out, implying that the babies - some as young as six months - were much better treated at Shishu Bhavan than at Sahyog Village.

Many of these children have parents, who are too poor or too ill to take care of them.

"When the news of children's deaths in Sahyog Village broke out, many parents wanted to take away their babies but were asked to undergo DNA tests first. After a few days, when more babies began falling ill, many parents were forced to take away their babies. This is ridiculous," Tirkey said.

One Soma Samad from Arki area of Khunti district said he had handed over his daughter Sonia, now aged 19 months, to Shishu Bhavan in April last year for two years, as his ailing wife Lalmuni was not able to take care of the child. Sonia was sent to Sahyog Village without his consent, Samad alleged. "And when I went to Sahyog Village a fortnight ago to take back my daughter, I was told to undergo a DNA test first and wait till the report arrived. But after a few days they repeatedly called me up and forced me take away my ill daughter. These didis (Jan Awaz members) helped her admission to Rani Children's Hospital here. But I had to sell off both my goats to run between my home in Khunti and nursing home in Ranchi," he said.

Jan Awaz general secretary Sunita Singh questioned why these children were sent to Sahyog Village without the consent of parents in the first place and demanded Shishu Bhavan be started.

She alleged her outfit members were ill-treated at Sahyog Village when they went for inquiries and Khunti police refused them a receipt of their written complaint. "We are consulting legal experts. Today they (BJP government) raided Father Stan Swamy's home, tomorrow they may put us behind bars," rued Singh, who also happens to be a JVM spokesperson.