‘Ready to hand over children to district administration’

Taking exception to the complaint registered against him of kidnapping a child, Dr. H.K. Phalaksha, managing trustee of Tavaru Public Charitable Trust, has decided to hand over all the children in his custody to the district administration. He and other trustees of the organisation took 13 children to district offices here on Monday with a request to take them back.

First, they took the children to the office of the Deputy Commissioner in the city. Deputy Commissioner Umesh H. Kusugal was on leave and Additional Deputy Commissioner K.M. Janaki was in Mysuru. The staff in the DC ’s office took Mr. Phalaksha’s memorandum and told him that the matter would be brought to the notice of Mr. Kusugal.

As there was no one to take back the children, Mr. Phalaksha took the children to the offices of Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer R.Venkatesh Kumar and Superintendent of Police Rahul Kumar Shahapurwad. However, the officers turned down his request stating that the Deputy Commissioner has to take a call. Finally, the children were taken back to the trust.

Earlier in the day, addressing a press conference, Mr. Phalaksha said he was deeply hurt over the police complaint against him. “The police registered the FIR based on the statement given by the woman without hearing my version. They called me for an inquiry only after registering the complaint,” he alleged.

He said since 2006, when he started the trust, he has taken care of 200 children and has given 90 children for adoption. “Besides that, I have given 19 children back to their biological parents. I would have happily returned the baby to the complainant if she had come to me, instead of complaining to the police. I am deeply hurt by the developments and these developments have forced me to hand over the children to the district administration,” he said. Mr. Phalaksha broke down and wept in front of the media.

Mr. Phalaksha, a practising paediatrician, maintained that he had started the trust to do social service, but was hurt with the “false complaint” against him. “I don’t know who is behind the complaint. But, it has made me give up the activities,” he said. Recently a woman had filed a complaint with the police alleging that Mr. Phalaksha took away her baby forcibly from her.