“Maarte the wo log. Brother maarte the. Kahte the ki ye khao nahi to ham gardan masak denge (They used to beat us. The Brother used to beat me. They threatened to break our necks if we didn't eat it)," said 10-year-old Nammu* (name changed).
Nammu and his sister Neeta* (name changed) were handed over to their father after living at the St Francis Sevadham Ashram in Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, for nearly 15 months. The two children had shocking stories to tell.
They alleged that they were not only physically abused, but were also forced to eat beef at the ashram.
Nammu and Neeta were sent to live at the ashram by their father Deepak* (name changed), a single parent, hoping that they would receive a better education.
However, Deepak claimed that he had no idea that it would mean officially giving up their custodial rights, leading to a 15-month-long legal battle.
The children stayed at the ashram for 15 months.
(Photo: Vishnukant Tiwari/The Quint)
Rape, Poverty, Helplessness: How Nammu & Neeta Landed at the Ashram
Nammu’s sister Neeta, a hearing and speech impaired child, is a rape survivor. Their father Deepak has four children, including three daughters.
Their eldest sister got married a few years ago. Deepak’s family is mostly dependent on his fishing job. He also works as a security guard for the forest department.
In 2020, Neeta was raped and tortured by one of her distant relatives. For days after the incident, she could not narrate her ordeal to anybody given her disability.
With the help of social workers and locals, she was able to identify the perpetrator, following which a case was registered.
It was after this incident that Pramila Maurya, a social worker who had earlier helped in registering the case, told Deepak that she will help his children get better facilities and education.
“Maurya ma'am told me that she will enrol my children in some school where they will get a better education and will be looked after well. Who wouldn’t want their children to get better things in life? My child had already gone through a lot, so I readily accepted. All the paperwork was done in the SP office and while I waited, my children were enrolled in the Ashram. I was told later by Maurya ma'am that I wouldn’t be able to meet them," Deepak told The Quint.
The father alleges that he had no idea that he was officially giving up their custodial rights.
(Photo: Vishnukant Tiwari/The Quint)
“I felt the ground beneath my feet slip. The very next day I went there and told them that I want my children back but nobody heard. I was told that I wouldn’t be able to raise them as I was poor and hence the ashram is the best choice for them,” he added.
A Long Legal Battle to Get his Children Back
A day after the children were sent to the ashram, Deepak went to meet them but he was allegedly denied visitation for almost a week. That is when he realised he had given up custody of his children.
The first complaint cum custody reversal letter was filed in September 2020 within a month of his children being sent to the Ashram. The lawyers say that letters were written to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) representative and even the collector but no action was taken at that time.
CWC Sagar wing came into existence only in March 2021, before which only a representative was posted to handle child rights cases in the region.
After several letters, complaints, and delayed processes due to the COVID-19 situation, Deepak was able to meet his children for a few minutes in August this year. It was then that the children first told him about the alleged harassment and about being forced to eat beef.
Aggrieved by the condition of his children, Deepak in a written complaint dated 4 October 2021 to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) alleged that the social worker, under the pretext of facilitating education and other amenities, had put his children in the Sevadham Ashram and stated he is "not being allowed" to meet them. He also mentioned that his children were being forced to eat beef.
In a letter to CWC, Deepak has alleged that he wasn't allowed to meet his children.
(Photo: Vishnukant Tiwari/The Quint)
The CWC on 29 October ordered the Sevadham Ashram to present both Nammu and Neeta before it to decide upon their future.
On 12 November, both Nammu and Neeta were handed over to their father Deepak by the CWC.
‘They Tried to Choke my Son’
It was only after several days that the children returned home and narrated their ordeal in detail.
Taking cognizance of the issue, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights on 8 December ordered the SP and Collector of Sagar district to carry out an enquiry into the matter and submit the report of the findings within 48 hours.
Deepak on 22 November wrote a letter addressed to the SP of Sagar asking for action to be taken against the Ashram.
In the letter he wrote:
"My children were kept in the Ashram and I wasn't allowed to meet them. After several attempts when I did get to meet them my son told me that they were being harassed and force-fed beef. Then I filed a complaint to the CWC on 4 October and my children returned to my custody on 12 November."
“After I met my children I saw that they were terrified and weren't speaking. So, I took them to my village. After a few days when things normalised, my son told me about being forced to eat cow meat and the physical tortures that they went through in detail,” he added.
It was only after several days that the children returned home and narrated their ordeal in detail.
(Photo: Vishnukant Tiwari/The Quint)
The letter further read, “My son Nammu told me that there was one person whom they called Brother who once choked my son when he refused to eat beef.”
Shelter Home Denies Beef & Torture Claims
Head of St Francis Sevadham ashram Sinto Verghese refuted the claims of feeding beef to the children and abusing them.
“Both children were brought here following the order of CWC some one-and-half years ago and were taken good care of. In shelter homes, especially for the children who are put up here by CWC, a letter granting permission for the parents or anyone willing to meet the children is a must.”Sinto Verghese, Head of St Francis Sevadham Ashram
Verghese further said that the claims are being made in order to defame the ashram since it is embroiled in a legal battle over the land on which it stands.
“The father has been provoked and is being manipulated by those who want to malign the name of the shelter home. We are fighting a legal battle for the land where the shelter has been built. It was on lease which was being renewed until the last few years. The state government didn’t renew the lease and wanted us to vacate the place. The case is under trial and the next hearing is scheduled for 14 December. So we knew already that there will be attempts to defame our ashram.”
Social worker Pramila Maurya, who facilitated Deepak’s kids’ admission into the shelter home, told The Quint that it was done only because Deepak was not in a state to look after his children.
“The girl had gone through a very tragic experience and her mom had passed away a long back. It would have been difficult for Deepak to raise them. The girl couldn’t speak nor hear and hence it was recommended by the CWC that they be put into a shelter home where they would get a more secure environment to grow up."Pramila Maurya, Social Worker
Maurya also alleged that Deepak had a criminal background and this was a major hurdle why his son was also sent to the shelter home along with his daughter.
However, when The Quint contacted the local police station, the station in-charge Dhannu Singh said that the case against Deepak was in 2003 and that he was acquitted long back, after which there have been no complaints against him.
Deepak's lawyer Vikash Sen also refuted allegations of him having a criminal background.
“He had a fake case registered against him in 2003 of which he was acquitted later. After his daughter was raped, Pramila Maurya somehow got him to agree to send his children to the ashram. She promised that his children will get all benefits, good education among other facilities. Deepak is a common innocent village man and upon hearing good prospectus for his children he agreed to send them to the Ashram,” the lawyer said.
Probe Ordered
Taking cognisance of the issue National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on 8 December ordered the SP and Collector of Sagar district to carry out an enquiry into the matter and submit the report of the findings within 48 hours.
Sagar SP Tarun Nayak told The Quint that a committee led by high ranking officials has been formed to investigate into the matter.
"The committee comprising an executive magistrate, member of CWC and other senior police officers will look into it. More details will come to light post investigation," he said.
CWC president for the Sagar district Chandra Prakash Shukla also commented on the issue saying, “The children have been handed over to their father last month. Prima facie after the complaint we talked to other children of the Ashram and so far no claims of serving beef or torture have held grounds. A detailed enquiry will be carried out”.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)