More than a fortnight after the Government Railway Police (GRP) in Madhya Pradesh’s Katni detained 155 students and eight teachers on suspicion of “child labour”, several parents on Monday convened a press conference in Bihar’s Araria, demanding compensation and the establishment of standard operating procedures to deal with children travelling for educational purposes. From Bihar, the children, aged between six and 15 years, were being taken to schools and madrasas in Maharashtra and Karnataka. After they were intercepted on April 11, they spent two weeks at shelter homes in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur and Katni.

On April 25, they were brought back to their homes in the Seemanchal region of Bihar. Parents of the children, all of whom are Muslim, accused the GRP of being “communal” in their actions. However, the Katni GRP said action was taken due to suspicion that the children were “being taken to Latur (in Maharashtra) to work as child labour”.

An FIR was filed in this regard on April 12. The eight men travelling with them were booked under Section 143(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with trafficking of minors. Parents alleged that their children felt traumatised while being kept at shelter homes in Jabalpur and Katni.

They demanded an impartial investigation to hold those involved accountable, compensation for the children and teachers, and the issuance of a clear SOP to prevent harassment of travelling students.