Koderma: The 10 Birhor children, who went missing for seven days from January 31 and were rescued from Gaya in Bihar, were reunited with their families on Sunday evening at the Birhor hamlet, Gadiyai, in Koderma district.
Though the sun began to set over Jainagar, a new dawn broke for the community, lifting a shadow of darkness and sorrow that persisted for seven agonising days. For the mothers of the returned children, words were inadequate, and their tears served as a silent testament to a relief so profound that only their eyes could convey it.
One of the parents, whose child was among the rescued, said it was a personal and permanent lesson. Clutching her child, she vowed never to let him out of her sight again as tears rolled down her cheeks.
Danku Birhor, whose four children were among the rescued kids, said, “If my children were not found, I would have died.”
Another parent, Rajesh Birhor, whose two children were also among those who went missing, said he did not take food for two days. He said, "Now, I will enjoy my meal.”
The settlement, home to 210 Birhors of 38 families, plunged into grief since January 31, when the children vanished after attending a feast 3km away from their hamlet.
The local administration was put on high alert following a formal missing persons report lodged on Friday. In response, SP Anudeep Singh formed eight specialised teams to track the children and announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for any information leading to their whereabouts.
The children went missing after they accidentally boarded the wrong train at Parsabad station and missed their intended stop at Yadudih, which is located near their settlement. They disembarked at Gaya in Bihar and began wandering on foot.
Gaya locals noticed the group and alerted the police, who transferred the children to the Childline. Due to language barriers, the officials initially struggled to identify the children who belonged to one of Jharkhand’s most primitive tribes.
The children were temporarily housed in various shelter homes across Gaya, Nawada, and Aurangabad while authorities worked to bridge the communication gap.
On Saturday, Koderma police received a breakthrough regarding the children’s location. SP Anudeep Singh personally led a team of senior officers to Bihar to bring the group home. After completing the necessary legal formalities on Sunday, the children were officially handed over to their parents.
The reunion took place in the presence of circle officer Saransh Jain, BDO Gautam Kumar, Jainagar police station officer-in-charge Umanath Singh, and village mukhiya Rajendra Yadav.
Circle officer Saransh Jain noted that the joy on the faces of the families was apparent, describing the homecoming as a deeply moving scene for the administration and the community at large.
Koderma DC Rituraj expressed relief at the safe rescue of the children and outlined a plan to ensure the long-term welfare of the Birhors, whose numbers are around 1,900 across 21 villages in Koderma. To prevent such incidents from recurring, ‘Sevikas’ were assigned to monitor children’s movements, and a community head will be appointed to foster better social cohesion.
The DC emphasised that a comprehensive roadmap, personally monitored by his office, would be implemented to improve the tribe's social, economic, and mental well-being.
Rajendra Yadav, the mukhiya of the village, said the administration should take more efforts to uplift the condition of the Birhor families. He said it was a matter of great relief that the missing children were brought back safely.
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