Jharkhand Children Lead Anti-Mob Violence Campaign Against Child Lifting Rumors

Ranchi: At a time when several districts of Jharkhand have reported cases of mob attacks over child lifting rumours in the past few weeks, around 15 children from Bichna and Ghoratoli panchayats under Murhu block in Khunti district are going door to door across 14 villages, educating residents about the dangers of resorting to rumour-driven violence over child lifting.

The initiative began around three weeks ago after a rumour spread in Bichna village about the presence of a child lifter. An outsider, who spoke a different language, had approached villagers with some questions about the area. Rumours spread like a wildfire that he was a child lifter.


Urvashi Kumari (15), a resident of Bichna, said, “When we heard he was talking in a different language, we used a translator and found that he is from Odisha and has come to work on an under-construction school.”

A member of Bal Manch, which is a panchayat-level platform promoting child leadership and participation in decision-making, she, along with other children, realised that the man might have been assaulted over suspicion and lack of communication if the organisation did not step in.

Following the incident, the minors resolved to spread awareness across nearby villages. They organised rallies to inform people about the seriousness of child lifting while also highlighting how rumours can result in innocent people being harmed. The children attended village meetings and launched a door-to-door campaign.

A 14-year-old Ritu Kumari said, “We started with our parents. Then we began going door to door, telling people what to do or not do if a child goes missing or if they hear a rumour about a child lifting incident.”

Urging villagers to report suspicious activity to the police or local administration instead of taking matters into their own hands, and to follow the same approach if a child goes missing, the children put up handmade posters with helpline numbers, including child helpline, women’s helpline, and police contacts, outside homes.

Bal Kalyan Sangh (BKS) founder Sanjay Mishra said, “The Bal Manch has been formed by BKS under Mission Vatsalya, which calls for a panchayat-level committee on child protection. It helps children take leadership roles in villages. The children have been doing impressive work in raising awareness on various issues — from hygiene and cleanliness to cybercrime, trafficking, child labour and child exploitation. We, at BKS, are trying to provide them as much support as we can.”

Bichna panchayat mukhiya Nargis Priyanka Tiru said, “The children reacted sensibly and managed to diffuse a situation that could have turned violent. Now, people in the panchayat are careful before reacting to rumours.”

Khunti DDC Alok Kumar said, “The awareness programme by children has been very successful. We plan to replicate this in other areas as well.”