How Could You? Hall of Shame-India-Balwinder Singh, Saravjit Kaur and Pritam Singh

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From Ladhowal, India, “An 11-year-old girl, given away for adoption by her mother after her father’s death, has allegedly been raped by her foster[adoptive] father for 11 months in Ladhowal of Ludhiana. She was also allegedly pushed into prostitution by her “new parents” who were arrested on Friday.

The incident came to light last week after the girl, a student of Class 6 at local government senior secondary school, shared her ordeal with a friend who suggested her to talk to the principal. The girl told the principal that after her father’s death her mother gave her away for adoption in July last year. Barely after two months, her foster father allegedly started raping her.

On Friday, the principal, along with Childline and Navchetna — a social organisation of government teachers — contacted police, following which an FIR under sections 376 (rape), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 120B (punishment for criminal conspiracy) of Indian Penal Code and sections 3 and 4 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act was lodged against the foster father, Balwinder Singh. His wife Saravjit Kaur has been booked for conspiracy.

Inspector Varinderpal Singh, Station House Officer (SHO) of Ladhowal police station, confirmed that the girl’s foster parents have been arrested. They do not have any child of their own.

Police has also summoned one Pammi Pradhan through whom the girl was given for adoption. “We are also probing if she was adopted legally. We are investigating further about the girl’s allegations of prostitution. More names will be added to the FIR after probe,” he said.
The principal said the child was admitted to the school in April. “On July 28, she sought my help. She alleged that her (foster) father has been raping her for months, almost daily. She said that every Sunday outsiders would come to their home and rape her. If she refused, she was beaten with sticks and starved. Her (foster) mother used to prepare her for the customers,” said she.

The principal added the girl would often remain absent on Mondays. “We did not want to alert her foster parents. On Thursday, she told us that she was raped again on Sunday by outsiders. We immediately informed the Childline,” she said.

The girl told the police that her mother had told her that she cannot earn enough to raise her.

Later in the evening, the police summoned her biological mother. “She said she gave her daughter for adoption as she had no source of livelihood. She is claiming that she tried to meet her daughter, but was not allowed. We are probing her role also,” said the SHO.

Kuldeep Mann, coordinator of Childline Helpline, Ludhiana, said they will sponsor her education now. The Child Welfare Committee has sent the girl to Niksham Sewa Ashram. She will undergo medical examination on Saturday.”

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/ludhiana-foster-father-held-for-raping-11-year-old-mother-for-pushing-her-into-prostitution-5290940/

[Indian Express 8/4/18 by Divya Goyal]

“In a major development in the case of adoption of an 11-year-old girl by a couple and her rape by her adoptive father, the police have found that the girl was handed over to the accused couple without following any legal procedure by either party.

The girl’s real mother as well as the middlemen who facilitated her adoption may face action for illegally handing over the girl to strangers.

On Friday, the police arrested the accused, Balwinder Singh (37), who is a security guard at an amusement park located on the Ludhiana-Jalandhar highway and his wife. An elderly person, Pritam Singh, father of Balwinder, has also been booked by the police on the charges of rape and criminal conspiracy.

According to the girl, Pritam had once bit her on the face due to which she could not attend school for days, and he also raped her. The adoptive grandfather, who is not living with the family at Laduwal, sexually assaulted the girl several times.

The ACP West, Gurpreet Singh, confirmed the real mother of the girl and her foster parents had not followed any procedure required for adoption and they were not having any legal documents. The real mother only showed some affidavit which was signed by some people as witnesses. But mere affidavit could not make the adoption legal.

“We are investigating if the real mother had sold the girl to the couple by taking any money. Anyone involved in the illegal adoption will not be spared,” said the ACP. Sources said some persons from Goraya and Jalandhar, including Paramjit Singh Pamma, acted as mediators in handing over the girl to the couple and they had signed the affidavit. The police are likely to question the mediators and the girl’s mother soon.

Meanwhile, the couple was produced before the court on Saturday. They were remanded in one-day police custody. After a medical examination of the girl, she was also sent to Children’s Home run by Swami Ganga Nand Bhuri Wale International Foundation at Talwandi Khurd village. In a statement to the police yesterday, the victim said she was adopted by Balwinder in July last year.

For two months, he treated her as daughter but from September onwards, he started sexually assaulting her. In the past several months, he raped her for a number of times. His wife, despite being aware of the matter, did not object to his immoral act. The girl was also forced into prostitution by the family.

The girl was living in Hoshiarpur with her parents and two siblings, a sister and a brother. After her father, who was the only breadwinner in the family, died, her mother sent her for adoption by Balwinder. Two of her siblings were now living at their relative’s place while her real mother reportedly married some one near Phagwara.”

No adoption procedure followed by either party

[The Tribune 8/5/18 by Nikhil Bhardwaj]

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