TIRUCHY: In an event conducted by Anbalayam, a non-profit organisation, Railway Protection Force (RPF) and airport security personnel who know languages other than Tamil communicated with persons under Anbalayam’s care, to reunite them with their families.
The inmates were mostly mentally or intellectually challenged and separated from their families before being rescued from the roads of Tiruchy and nearby districts by Anbalayam volunteers and staff.
In the event on Tuesday at Police Marriage Hall, the RPF, airport security personnel and police helped Anbalayam identify inmates’ details whose native languages they knew and tried to find their families’ whereabouts.
Thanks to the camp, details of 25 to 30 members like village and place were identified by the personnel. Anbalayam founder K Senthil Kumar said, “We have persons working in Tiruchy from all over India. This proved advantageous. Many persons know the remote villages of north Indian States and spoke their local tongue. This made many open up.”
One of them was a 45-year-old woman from a Madhya Pradesh village, whose family was tracked down with the help of an RPF personnel. They managed to find the phone number of their now-married daughter and arranged a video chat by phone.
“Tears welled up in almost all our eyes when the separated mother and daughter spoke. She was rescued four years ago in Kumbakonam. She was violent and unresponsive and had some skin infections. Now, she is responsive and calm and her skin ailment also treated,” said Kumar.
He said they had more information on their inmates than before and would work on them to try to reunite families. On future plans, he said, “We plan to lobby to integrate such NGOs and organise a quarterly event where volunteers can help reunite families by talking with rescued persons.”