JHARKHAND: Baidnath Kumar, 37, can’t forget the day he was sent to a relative’s house in Ranchi at the age of seven. His parents were too poor to provide for him.
Though enrolled in a government school, he was made to join as a mess boy at Administrative Training Institute. His parents knew nothing of it.
When he was about 18, the Juvenile Justice Act (JJ Act) was introduced in the country. Administrative officers were briefed about the Act and how children could be protected against forced labour.
Being a mess boy, he had access to the lecture hall, where he heard speakers discuss the issue. Soon, he wrote down the highlights.
Today, Kumar is proud to have rescued more than 5,000 trafficked women and children in about a decade. On the ATI hostel episode, he says: “I spoke to some IAS officers lodged in the Hostel. I also spoke with 14 minor employees and told them about the Act. We decided to go on strike next day. ATI officials wanted us to tell them the reason behind the strike. I told them we were being tortured by the mess in-charge, which is a violation of JJ Act,” recalls Kumar.
It was decided that those working there for long and to have crossed 18 would be absorbed as permanent employees. But nothing actually happened, prompting Kumar to announce he would self-immolate in protest. He was arrested.
“But the threat served the purpose. All eligible ATI workers were absorbed, except for me, as they feared that I might create trouble in future,” said Kumar. He had no choice but to look for another job. He joined a photocopy shop on the civil court campus in 2003, which proved to be a turning point in his life.
Advocates visited the area. Kumar managed to strike up conversations with them. He told them he wanted to do something in the field of child labour. They advised him to form an NGO. “One day, someone sent a copy of NGO by-laws for a photocopy. I took one for myself.”
He formed Diya Seva Sansthan in 2004. His intention was to help women and children get education. “I did a survey on children not attending school in Ranchi and found that there were 7,777 such kids.
With the data, I met the then Education Project Council Director and told him I wanted to open a school for providing bridge courses to these children,” said Kumar.
Such a school was to be completely residential to enable children get admission in government schools in future. “The director was impressed and gave me the first project for educating 150 children.”
The concept was expanded to adjoining areas of Ranchi, Khunti and Simdega. While visiting the villages, he noticed a strange thing. Most of the villagers were elderly. On inquiry, he was told the youth had left for Delhi, mostly to work as domestic helps.
“I was further told that unscrupulous agents were trafficking girls in an organised way,” said Kumar. He sent mails to the CID (ADG) whenever he came across cases of trafficking.
“I told CID officials I want justice for these children and women.” He was asked by the CID to prove his case. Kumar worked for three months in Delhi with a placement agency to secure details of the functioning of these agencies. After three months he gathered adequate information. “ My information was verified and we rescued as many as 120 girls in one day. It was my first rescue operation.”
He has rescued more than 5,000 trafficked children and women since and adopted a seven-year-old girl from Delhi whose parents could not be traced. The girl is now studying in Class X at a residential school. Kumar pays for her expenses. He went to the US to deliver a lecture on the International Child Labour Day in 2018. He has received awards from state governments and reputed organisations. The police also laud his efforts.
Proud ‘dad’in the process
He adopted a seven-year-old girl from Delhi whose parents could not be traced. The girl is studying in Class X. Kumar pays for her expenses.