Chaibasa: The Railway Protection Force (RPF) rescued six minor girls from the Tata-Itwari Express at Manoharpur Railway Station in West Singhbhum district as part of ‘Operation Nanhe Farishte’. The girls were traveling to Rourkela to earn money by working in paddy planting without informing their guardians. All the girls are aged between 12 and 14 years.
According to reports, the RPF received information on August 8 that some minor girls were traveling on Train No. 18109 (Tata-Itwari Express). Acting on this information, Sub-Inspector Indrajit Kumar, Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) SN Yadav, and the duty staff of the Manoharpur RPF post initiated an operation under the supervision of the post in-charge. The operation involved ASI Kamlesh Ram, GRP Manoharpur personnel, representatives from the Railway Child Helpline (West Singhbhum)—Manoj Kumar Das and Phanindra Baraik—as well as a team from the NGO ‘Aspire’.
After the train arrived at platform number one of Manoharpur Railway Station around 11:54 AM, the RPF and the supporting team inspected coach S-2. During the inspection, six minor girls were found sitting in suspicious circumstances. Upon questioning, the girls revealed that they were traveling to Rourkela without their parents’ knowledge. They stated that they planned to earn money through paddy planting work there. No luggage or belongings were found with the girls.
The rescued girls include Namlen Cherowa (12), Pulo Cherowa (13), Biswas Soren (13), Sumita Soren (14), Nimanti Cherowa (12), and Alita Cherowa (14). All the girls are reported to be residents of Patnia village under the Goilkera police station limits in West Singhbhum district. The RPF escorted all the girls off the train and safely brought them to the RPF post at Manoharpur. Subsequently, necessary inquiries and procedures were conducted in the presence of the GRP Manoharpur and Railway Child Helpline teams. After completing the legal formalities, all six minor girls were handed over to Manoj Kumar Das and Phanindra Baraik—representatives of the Railway Child Helpline, West Singhbhum—to facilitate the completion of further necessary child protection procedures.
