Ranchi: Former CM and JVM president Babulal Marandi on Friday led a protest march from zilla school to Albert Ekka Chowk demanding FIRs against the child welfare committees of Ranchi and Khunti, and NGO-run Sahyog Village in whose custody three infants died of malnutrition this month.
The rally was sponsored by human rights outfit Jan Awaz, whose activists have been baying for the arrest of child welfare officials for more than two weeks since two babies died on August 19 at Khunti Sadar Hospital and a third on August 24.
At least one of the dead infants was taken to Sahyog in Khunti from Missionaries of Charity-run Shishu Bhavan in Hinoo, Ranchi, after the adoption controversy at Nirmal Hriday in July. Four more infants are admitted to hospital. Jan Awaz claims they belong to a group of eight children brought from the Hinoo shelter.
Armed with posters and placards screaming slogans like "CWC ki commission-khori ki janch karo (Probe the kickback received by child welfare committee/s)" and " Bhookh se bachchon ki maut ki nyayik janch ki jaye (Order a judicial probe into the malnutrition deaths)", around 100 activists and JVM supporters marched from 3pm the 500-metre stretch seeking speedy justice.
"How can a government that wants sabka saath, sabka vikas be so unfazed about the death of tribal infants? Why has no one been booked yet?" Marandi lobbed questions at the state authorities in the presence of reporters.
The JVM boss said the BJP-ruled government had the habit of awarding plum posts to its lackeys and cited the example of Khunti child welfare committee member Baidnath Kumar.
"He (Kumar) is the same person who tried to broker a deal with Congress's Yogendra Sao during the 2016 Rajya Sabha polls. The phone used to call Sao belonged to a Ranchi-based NGO where he worked. Later, the NGO filed a fraud case against him. A few months ago, he is suddenly made a CWC member. What does this mean?" Marandi asked.
The former CM minced no words to say the BJP government was orchestrating attacks on missionaries ever since the Nirmal Hriday case came to light in July.
"On what ground was Shishu Bhavan targeted? It didn't violate rules. It had a valid registration till 2020. Sending the children to a poorly-managed, state-aided shelter led to the death of the infants," Marandi said, subscribing to Jan Awaz claims that all three dead babies had been relocated to Khunti from Hinoo.
Mary Tirkey, a rights activist at the protest, said of the 22 children shifted from Shishu Bhavan, one was still missing. "The one-year-old boy is traceless till date. The CWC is unable to say where he is? He was there at the Hinoo shelter, but then just disappeared. What do you think is going on?" Tirkey left a point to ponder.
