Emotional homecoming of trafficked girl Marzina Begum to her home in Udalguri after 12 years

A Correspondent

TANGLA, July 25: In a heart rendering tale, life has come full circle for 24-year-old Marzina Begum (name changed) of Kalaigaon in Udalguri after 12 painful years. Marzina, who was trafficked at the age of 12, sold, raped, married forcefully, made to bear two kids, tortured by in-laws before she could find her way back home in Bhakatpara Punia village near Kalaigaon in Udalguri.

It was an awkward homecoming for Marzina whose mother could not recognise her on July 23 last. A police officer privy to the details of the case told The Sentinel that Marzina had to introduce herself to her mother who had lost all hope of getting back their daughter. The people of the remote hamlet are now sparkling with joy for the home-coming of their daughter who went missing more than a decade ago. In the safety of her home, Marzina shared her ordeal over a decade.

Reportedly, one Hasimuddin Ali alias Hassu, an inhabitant of Naptipara village near Kalaigaon of Udalguri district by luring and promising the family of securing a job and better livelihood to their daughter had sold the minor child to one ailing Satpal Singh who was in his late 50’s then for an amount of Rs one lakh. The minor child was exploited and forcefully married at a Gurudwara.

Marzina also gave birth to two sons out of the wedlock, one being eight years old and other being six-year-old. The ailing husband of Marzina also passed away five years back adding to the woes and sufferings of Marzina. She was meted out innumerable mental and physical torture by her in-laws owing to which she fled the place five years back. Marzina had to roam helplessly living a nomadic life begging alms for feeding herself and her two kids. But as fate would have it, Marzina sold her silver ring for securing herself a railway ticket from West Bengal to Guwahati.

She met two persons in the train who luckily were familiar to her native place as she had a faded memory of her address in Kalaigaon. The girl never lost hope of her life and on her arrival at the village and meeting her parents and villagers, did not waste time to lodge an FIR against Hasimuddin Ali alias Hassu who is presently serving as an employee of Mangaldai Irrigation Department in Darrang. The Kalaigaon police immediately swung into action and nabbed the accused from Mangaldai on the same day.

Kalaigaon OC, Dimbeswar Das said a case has been registered and recorded the statement of the victim girl vide Kalaigaon PS case no 85/18 under section 370/371 IPC. The accused was produced before the Udalguri district court on Tuesday. The police is also investigating if the person is involved in more such trafficking cases.