Jahangir Sheikh was merely 2 years old when his father Yasin allegedly sold him and his mother Aklema to an orchard owner in Kashmir. Now, after 24 gruelling years, Jahangir has returned with his mother to Murshidabad’s Ilshemari and has lodged an FIR against his father, who is on the run.
When Aklema and her 2year-old son suddenly went missing, her parents had lodged a missing complaint at Raninagar police station, to no avail. Little did anyone know that Aklema and Jahangir were working as bonded labourers in Kashmir. They did try to escape, but could never get far.
Last week, however, the duo managed to board a train that took them to a town in north India. Jahangir, now 26, and his mother changed five trains and travelled for five days to finally reach Kolkata on Sunday
“My husband and his two friends drugged us and took us to Kashmir by train where we were sold. We woke up to the orchard owner torturing us. Used as bonded labourers, for 24 years we had to work without rest for the owner’s household. Even when we finished work, there was no respite. We had to work for the neighbours,” Aklema said.
“Much later, I came to know that my father had an affair and wanted to get rid of us. It was a plus that he got money for it. We hope the police will take action soon,” said Jahangir.
(This story is not edited by Press Exclusive.)
