“She was very intelligent. Only yesterday, I asked her to recite tables till 12 and the spelling of September and she knew it by heart,” said 50-year-old school teacher Amrit Singh of Shakko (11), one of the two minor girls who drowned in Bharatpur’s Panchi ka Nagla village on Tuesday evening.
She had come back from school -- built for children from the community -- around 4 pm when the police raided the village inhabited by members of the Bedia community, who are sex workers for over 200 years.
Still in her school uniform, she ran fearing arrest, said her father Lakhan Singh (40), who carried her body from the ambulance in the same uniform on Wednesday afternoon.
Shakko’s 13-year-old cousin, Rachna, also jumped into the pond with another cousin, Payal. While Payal was rescued, the other two drowned as they didn’t know swimming and nobody was allegedly allowed by the police to rescue them.
“Over 15 of them were standing when the girls drowned but they did not make an effort to save them. Eventually, two of them jumped to save Payal, who was on the periphery,” Mr Singh said, adding that two boys from the nearby village tried to jump but the police didn’t let them and also beat up villagers who tried to save the girls.
Police denial
The police, however, denied the charge, stating that they did their best to save the girls but could rescue only one.
NEW DELHI, 22/03/2017: Family mambers and relatives of two minors standing near spot where minors drowned in a pond near their residential settelment in Bharatpur's Panchi Ka Nagla village allegdly fearing for thier life after the police raided the village on Tuesday evening , New Delhi. Photo: Sushil Kumar Verma.
“We did not have enough manpower to rescue the girls because the pond area was not a part of the raid. Two policemen managed to rescue only one girl. It was an accident,” Assistant Superintendent of Police Dharmendra Singh said.
The villagers alleged that several girls ran towards the pond in the forest area, which is nearly 400 meters away from the residential settlement when the police raided with sticks and guns.
Rachna’s mother, a widow and a sex worker, said the girl was resting in her house when one of the policemen entered. “She ran and the police officer told her to stop or else they would shoot her but out of fear, she continued to run. The police fired two rounds and threw a stick at her. That’s when she jumped,” she said.
The police, however, denied the statement and said the girls were already present at the pond to relieve themselves when the police found them.
“Three girls were probably relieving themselves near the pond when they heard police’s movement and without a thought jumped into the pond,” said ASP Singh, adding that it wasn’t possible for the girls to evade the chase to that distance “because we are taller and fitter.”
Rachna’s mother said she requested the police officers in the station to let her see her daughter but they didn’t allow.
“They took me to Sewar thana and detained me there. A woman in the police station told me that my child has died and they didn’t let me see her even then. They let me off on Wednesday afternoon,” she said, breaking into tears.
‘Red-light area’
It’s not the first time the police raided the village, infamously known as the ‘red-light area.’ But the villagers alleged that they’re raided at regular intervals on false charges.
Talking about the community, many said sex work was a family tradition for them and they never forced a woman into it.
“We’ve never pushed any girl into prostitution. As they turn 18, they’re asked whether they want to get married or get into the profession. Many of our girls are married,” said Akash.
But at the same time, they are forced to remain in the trade because potential employers turn them away when they learn they belong to the Bedia community, he added.
As the bodies were kept outside the house on the ground, ready to be cremated, the families of the girls pointed to the bruises on their faces and other parts of the body. “They were beaten,” alleged the girls’ uncle Sanjay.
Three girls were rescued from the raid on Tuesday and handed over to Child Welfare Committee of the state. Two FIRs were registered under sections of human trafficking of the IPC, ASP Singh said.
