Sunil Manji and his daughter (left) Seema Khan and Jameela Begum (Right) (Photo: Subhi Vishwakarma)
This year, on February 22, Organiser revealed an illegal settlement in Bilaspur city, Chhattisgarh, where illegal migrants, allegedly from Bangladesh, have settled in the Deori Khurd locality. They have occupied 125 out of 335 government colony houses built under the PM Awas scheme. Additionally, an illegal mazar was discovered, with pictures of hundreds of women and girls resumed. This exposure followed the abduction of a minor Hindu girl by Imran Beigh, who allegedly intended to sell her.
Recently, this correspondent visited Bilaspur and met the minor girl, who is gradually returning to normal life. During the visit, the correspondent also spoke with the accused’s family, who denied any abduction, asserting that the minor left of her own will. The aunt of the accused even questioned the girl’s character. Contrarily, the girl’s father claimed she is naive and unaware of the outside world, insisting on the harshest punishment for Imran.
The ground visit took place on May 12. This report includes details from the visit and statements from both families.
Deori Khurd is located about 21 kilometres from Bilaspur Junction railway station. During the visit, this correspondent was accompanied by Dhananjay Giri, a Hindu activist who brought the case to media attention, leading to the minor’s swift rescue.
Due to Dhananjay’s involvement in exposing the illegal settlement and the demolition of mazar construction, he was unable to enter the colony. Consequently, the correspondent proceeded alone.
After walking approximately 500 meters on a straight road and taking a right turn, the correspondent found the shanty of Sunil Manjhi, the father of the abducted minor girl.
The shanty, measuring about 10 by 6 feet, had a charpoy placed outside. As Sunil sat there, residents of the colony began to gather.
Sunil shared details about the case, saying, “The boy came to stay at his maternal uncle’s house and started selling momos from a cart. His cart was positioned at the end of the lane connecting to the main road. I don’t know when and how he contacted my 13-year-old daughter and began manipulating her. He lured her with chocolates, gifts, and momos, which led her to visit the cart more frequently.”
The minor victim, sitting next to Sunil, added, “Lalach dekar le gaye the (He lured me with promises and took me away).”
She added, “He promised me a mobile phone and trips to big cities I have never seen. He also promised me money, a watch, and other things.”
When asked how she met him, she explained, “We used to play on the road outside, and he would be there.”
On the day of the abduction, he first took her to his uncle’s house, where all his family members were present. They didn’t say anything. A family visited the house, and they all talked and ate together. After that, she has no memory of what happened.
Sunil then took the mic and said, “He took her to the station around 6 p.m. When he couldn’t find a train at Bilaspur Junction, he took her to Uslapur station. By that time, I had already lodged a police complaint against him. He then called and asked me to withdraw the complaint, saying my daughter was with him and that he was bringing her back.”
However, Imran did not return and instead sent the minor back with his brother. While attempting to escape, the police detained his maternal uncle, leading to Imran being tracked down. “Imran wanted to sell my daughter. God knows how he managed to take her with him,” Sunil lamented.
“My daughter is a minor and knows very little about the world. She doesn’t even know the way to the station. Imran lured her, kidnapped her, and later, realising that a case had been filed against him, abandoned her on the way and fled. He left her at Uslapur railway station and told her to find her way home,” Manjhi added.
Notably, on February 9, 2024, a First Information Report (FIR number: 57/2024) was filed at Torba Police Station in Bilaspur district. Based on this FIR, the accused faced several charges, including abduction under Section 363 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Additional charges were Section 366 for kidnapping, Section 376 for rape, and Section 109 for abetment of the offence.
Furthermore, the accused was charged under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act, specifically Section 6 for aggravated penetrative sexual assault and Section 17 for abetment of such offences.
The correspondent also met the aunt (Mami) and grandmother (Nani) of the accused, who lived in the same lane as Sunil Manjhi.
As soon as they learned that the correspondent was from the media, they invited her to sit down and called over all their relatives living in the colony.
Jameela Begum, Imran’s grandmother, said that Imran had come to their house to attend a function and ended up staying longer than planned. He initially came to find a job. Jameela’s son owned a momo cart, and they thought Imran would join him in the business. However, Imran did nothing productive and spent his time wandering around.
When asked about the abduction case, Jameela claimed it was false, alleging that the uncle of the minor girl had handed her over to Imran for money.
Seema Khan, Imran’s aunt, added, “Imran and that Hindu girl were in a relationship and they ran away together. It wasn’t a case of kidnapping. Her father is trying to twist the story. The girl and her sisters are of questionable character. We see them daily with different men. If we had known that Imran was talking to that girl, we would have told him to stay away from her because she is a Hindu.”
Jameela intervened, saying, “You seem educated, madam. Imagine you faced a similar incident. Would you ever be able to leave your house? You would be ashamed, right? But these girls have no shame; they are roaming around as if nothing happened.”
The correspondent responded, “She is 13; she has no idea what happened to her. How can you say this?”
Jameela replied, “We live here, we see them every day.”
Imran is currently in jail. On April 24, he applied for bail, but his application was rejected by the special POCSO bench of the Bilaspur court, as per order number 51/2024.
Sunil Manjhi works as a daily wage labourer and has three daughters. His wife washes utensils and cooks meals at various houses. The three daughters attend school, and Sunil hopes to provide them with a better life. He said people like Imran target innocent Hindu girls to further their agenda and then sell them off.
Although Imran is in jail, Sunil wants him to remain there for the rest of his life.
The Mazar Scandal
In the same colony, an alarming situation had arisen concerning the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. Members of the Muslim community have unlawfully occupied 125 houses, modifying them into mosques, tombs, and sites for exorcism.
Out of 335 constructed houses, 125 were illegally captured, with some residents forced to flee. Despite being allocated to needy families, these houses were seized, leading to concerns about the scheme’s integrity.
Additionally, structures resembling tombs have appeared, with claims of Rohingya and Bangladeshi Muslims settling in. The Housing Board Chairman expressed distress, urging action against illegal occupants, while Municipal Corporation officials promised demolition following proper notice. During the search for Majhi’s missing daughter, evidence of foul play was discovered, leading to the demolition of a mosque-like structure.
Giri told Organiser that during the search for the girl, they inspected a structure resembling a Mazar and stumbled upon photographs of several girls and women bearing peculiar markings. Some images were marked with circles, while others had crosses, accompanied by notes indicating “Intkaal Ho gaya” (Now Dead). Suspecting foul play, Giri documented the findings and presented them to the district administration along with a memorandum, urging a thorough investigation.
Giri said that among the pictures of men recovered from the mosque, many were part of Hindu organisations and they raised their voices against illegal Islamic activities.
Following this, the police searched the Mazar and after verifying the documents, the construction was demolished. The caretaker of the said mosque was also investigated.
On February 21, the teams checked the documents of the residents living there and found irregularities.
Giri stated that after Muslims started to encroach on the property in the region, many Hindu families were forced to leave their houses. The Mazar structure was built over the house of two Hindus and when they came to reclaim possession, they were threatened and forced to leave.
The Mazar has been demolished and the illegal encroachment was cleared by the administration following massive protests.
However, the correspondent could not visit the site as a large crowd had gathered, and when asked for directions to the Mazar site, they said it was 4 kilometres in the opposite direction. When she came out of the colony and asked Giri, he said it was inside and the locals had lied to her.
Giri mentioned that the illegal settlement has been cleared. He himself faces death threats for getting involved in the matter and highlighting it in the media. The locals consider him their enemy and blame him for the demolition of their mazar.
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