Smile is back on Muskan's face

HAVERI: This girl from Haveri, named Muskan (meaning smile in Hindi), has experienced anything but that, thanks to her drunkard-father Iqbal. But with the rescue act by the officials in Karwar, where the father-daughter duo used to beg for alms, she can hope for a better future.
Iqbal and his five-year-old daughter had been roaming in and around the bus stand in Karwar of Uttara Kannada district for the past two months.However in the evenings, he used to get sloshed, leaving Muskan to beg alone.
Realizing the plight of Muskan, women's welfare committee president Father Sebastian and office-bearers of Karnataka Child Development Corporation Khairunneesa and Edwin Rodrigues contacted Bal Mandir superintendent Hemalata and CPI Antony John to ensure her safety.
Iqbal raised objections when the officers brought Muskan to Bal Mandir on Wednesday. But Azad Youth Club's Nazeer Ahmed U Shekh and PSI Raghavendra threatened him with dire consequences, and he relented. On Thursday, Iqbal decided to leave Muskan at Bal Mandir to study with other children.
One of Muskan's relatives thanked the officials for rescuing her from the clutches of her wayward father. Speaking to `The Times of India', Muskan said she braved cold evenings, when her father was fast asleep. "Drunkards used to force me to dance to the tunes that they played on their cellphones, for which I got paid," she said, adding that her father used that money to buy liquor the next morning.
Hemalata said Muskan is in safe hands now. "On Thursday afternoon, Iqbal came and spoke to his daughter. Many organizations have also offered to take care of her, but laws won't allow us to part with her. We are planning to shift Muskan to Bal Mandira in Haveri in the days to come," she added.