Tribal girl sold for 30,000, rescued after scuffle

SURAT: A 16-year-old tribal girl, who was allegedly sold for Rs 30,000 by her parents, has been rescued in Ahwa town of Dang district.
Two months ago, the girl's parents had sold her to a 21-year-old youth, Ashwin Charola, from Kherva village of Surendranagar district. Last week, she had come to see her parents in her native Bhabkal village.
Two days ago, Charola and his two relatives came to take her back.However, she resisted their attempt. Shockingly, her parents also forced her out of the house and she was taken to the Ahwa bus station to board the bus for Surendranagar. Ugly scenes were witnessed at the bus stand as the girl continued to fight and resist going back.
Meanwhile, police got information about the scuffle and reached the spot. The girl narrated her trauma to police and started begging for protection.
"The girl is not married to the youth. She was sold by her parent for Rs 30,000. As she is a minor, we have booked Charola for rape," said RC Vasava, Saputara sub-inspector.
Police also arrested her father Laxman Bhowar and Charola's two relatives under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act 2012. Her mother Hiraben is absconding.
The skewed sex ratio is forcing youth from Saurashtra to seek girls from tribal areas. Surendranagar has a child (0 to 6 years) sex ratio of 896 per 1,000 boys, while there are 930 women per 1000 men as per 2011 census.
Police said that at least 25 girls from Bhabkal village alone have been married in different villages of Saurashtra.
Sources said the accused youth is from Chuvaliya Koli community and works as farm labourer. His relative Rajesh had also married a tribal girl in the same village a year ago. Rajesh's parents had found this girl for Ashwin.
Due to skewed sex ratio, it is difficult for the Saurashtrian youth to find girl from their own community. However, the grooms look for tribal girls, whose parents let them go for few thousands of rupees.
"There are about six youths in Kherva village married to tribal girls from Dang. There are other villages in the taluka where you will find tribal girls married to the Saurashtrian youth," said a villager.