Malik Sumeed
Children losing their parents often land in the care of the orphanages, which are looked upon as the custodians of the children having no one to support or look after, but the society is startled when an NGO, fronting for working along the line of the orphanage, gets beyond a reprehensible practise and allegedly sells Kashmir’s orphans having lost their parents to Covid19.
Recently, a new report claimed a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) — Global Welfare Charitable Trust in the Pampore area of South Kashmir illegally adopted orphan children in Kashmir whose parents had died due to Covid19 and later ‘sells’ them in markets outside UT.
As the incident came to the fore, it must have shell-shocked the Kashmiris as such things are foreign here, but at the same time, a cautionary thing as the accused ones behind the selling of orphans was from Kashmir.
In the aftermath, police arrested two persons in connection to the alleged selling of orphans or in the intention of doing so. To unearth all the things, the police at the moment are investigating the case.
As the matter was of grave concern, administration also swung into action as Chief Secretary Dr Arun Kumar Mehta reviewed a meeting on alleged adoption and sale of covid orphans. He directed to pull out all stops in order to prevent such things from happening again and Dr Mehta also directed for conducting a five year audit of orphanages and ashrams to the Social Welfare Department. Also the I&C Department was told to submit the list of all working NGOs with the Social Welfare Department and Police.
Undoubtedly, the measures taken in the wake of the incident are of utmost importance and dedication, and seriousness towards implementing it should act as prophylactic against any such things in the offing.
Regarding this incident, Muttahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU) Jammu & Kashmir also decried the ‘selling’ of covid orphans and termed it shameful and disgusting.
MMU said that it is a matter of great sadness and shock that our Kashmir Valley, which has been the land of saints and sages, such types of social evils and crimes against humanity are taking place here.
It is a moment of introspection for the entire nation of Kashmir in general and the leaders and scholars, imams and conscious citizens in particular, MMU said.