“The moneylender often harassed and humiliated me"
In a desperate step, an Indian father tried to sell his 11-year-old son.
The incident took place at the Roadways bus stand in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh.
The father was sitting with his wife and two children. Wearing a placard around his neck, it read:
“My son is up for sale. I want to sell my son.”
It is reported that the child was up for sale for between Rs. 6 to 8 Lakh (£5,800 – £7,800).
Rajkumar, an e-rickshaw driver, was forced to take the desperate step after he was allegedly harassed by a moneylender.
Reportedly, Rajkumar had borrowed Rs. 50,000 (£490) from a man named Chandrapal Singh to buy property.
However, the moneylender manipulated the Indian father and turned him into a “borrower” and took away his land documents.
Rajkumar alleged: “The moneylender often harassed and humiliated me in front of my kids.
“He even threw me and my family out of the house. My e-rickshaw, the only means of supporting my family, had been taken away.
“I’ve been visiting the local police station for days for justice, but no FIR was registered.”
Rajkumar claimed he has paid the moneylender Rs. 6,000 and is “trying my best” to pay the rest.
Taking notice of the Indian father’s plight, Aligarh Police have traced Singh and remanded him in custody.
Superintendent of Police Mrigank Pathak said:
“The incident took place on October 26. A case was registered at Mahuakhera police station the next day against under IPC sections 504 (intentional insult) and 506 (criminal intimidation).
“Further investigation is underway.”
Aligarh Police tweeted: “Had borrowed 50 thousand rupees from his relative, there was a dispute among themselves regarding not returning the money, yesterday the matter was resolved with the consent of both the parties.
“The byte of the area officer in this regard.”
Meanwhile, taking to X, Samajwadi Party (SP) Chief Akhilesh Yadav criticised the Uttar Pradesh government and said:
“This is the ‘amrit kaal’ of BJP when a father is forced to sell his son.”
“Before this picture spreads across the world and tarnishes the image of the state and the country in the entire world, someone should wake up the government.”
While this case is shocking, incidents of parents selling their children in India are not uncommon.
In December 2020, a woman sold her son so she could remarry.
Ajay Dharjia got married to a woman named Jayashree in 2017. The marriage was arranged after he paid Rs. 2.40 Lakh (£2,400) to the woman’s mother Ramben Vyas.
The couple soon became parents to a son. However, one day, Jayashree left the family home with her son when he was two years old.
After a missing person complaint was filed, police discovered that Jayashree had sold her son to a couple in Mumbai because “he was an obstacle” in her plans to get married for a second time.
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