After several months of misery and a host of legal formalities, the Bangladeshi girl who was held from Thamarassery on charge of violating the Foreigners Act, was sent back home early on Sunday.
Following a directive from District Collector C.A. Latha, the minor girl, who is also a sexual assault victim, was given an escort of three persons, comprising police officials and a caregiver.
Doors opened for the safe return of the girl following the intervention of Punarjani, a Kozhikode-based forum of lawyers led by Sapna P. Parameswarath. The girl, who is pregnant, was confirmed as a minor after Punarjani managed to secure a copy of her birth certificate from her homeland. Soon, she was shifted from the Kozhikode jail to the Juvenile Home at Vellimadukunnu and offered special care.
Ms. Sapna said ‘Punarjani’ would try to get her a suitable compensation from the State government.
It was a slip made by the Kozhikode Rural police that ended up in the judicial custody of the minor girl for several months. The police said the age of the girl at the time of arrest, on May 12, was 20. The Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights intervened after the girl was declared a minor on the basis of the age proof. It directed the Additional Chief Secretary of Home Affairs to withdraw all cases against the girl.
