Nagpur: In a heart-warming development, a girl rescued from the city’s Red Light area tied the nuptial knot with her boyfriend in the presence of cops who played the role of a Good Samaritan in arranging the solemn ceremony, according to a report in a local English daily.
The report stated that the stone-faced city police, apart from providing security, played the role of event managers, guests and baraatis too with band and baaja to make it a memorable occasion. The bride, who was a minor when rescued from a brothel in the infamous Ganga Jamuna , had fallen in love with the young man, aged around 23, who used to visit her frequently. Started with a monetary deal, the visits developed into an emotional bond. Police kept their identities and details under wraps as revealing them may threaten their lives.
In the brothel, the girl stayed inside a ‘tunnel’ to evade police or their informers for several years after being sold at Ganga Jamuna at the age of nine. The young man, a school dropout but ITI-qualified, had met the girl during one of his visits to the Red Light area. The minor was among the four girls who were rescued last year by the Lakadganj police. She, along with others, was shifted to a government shelter home where police learnt about her desire to get rehabilitated and marry the young man.
The local English daily quoted the Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar as saying that prolonged counselling sessions were held for the girl who turned major this year. “We knew about their liking for each other and ensured that it develops into a life partnership through several sessions of counselling and emotional interactions,” said the Top Cop who was all praise for Senior Inspector Parag Pote of Lakadganj Police Station who played a key role in rehabilitating the girl.
The report further said that PI Pote counselled the girl’s parents and even the groom’s mother had started liking her. “We provided the man a job but will try to find a better one now,” he said, adding that several departments like Child and Women Welfare Department, Child Welfare Committee and others had to be convinced and readied for the marriage.
