Memorandum to the Honourable Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh
16 June, 2004

To,
Shri. Mulayam Singh Yadav
Chief Minister,
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

Sir,

On the appeal of 4 parents from Nepal who came India and asked us to rescue their daughters, we attempted to rescue the girls. The activists of the NGO, Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), met the District Magistrate (DM), Sh. M.I.I Khan of Gonda on 14 th June and lodged a complaint with him that the Great Roman Circus, currently running in Karnailgunj has employed the children of these parents and also many other minor girls are kept in bondage in the circus who must be rescued. The attitude of the District Magistrate was very negative and insulting. After repeated requests, he asked the Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Karnailgunj, Sh. Hawaldar Yadav, who was present there to take action.

Yesterday morning, on 15 th June, we took the 4 parents and met the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) and the Police Supritendent (SP) of the area. When after some time with the officials of the local administration and some media people we reached the circus, the owners were standing outside the gates of the circus, which was closed as if they already knew we were going to come and were waiting to receive us. The night before we had some inkling that through the SDM the circus owners would have got the message that we would be coming. So we sent some of our team members ahead to Karnailgunj who were surprised to see the orderly of the DM already present there. Yesterday when we were taken inside the circus, behind a tent there were around 2 dozen girls and young women sitting there dressed very nicely, but among them the 4 girls, whose parents were with us were not there. BBA activists then ran around the circus and found Neeta, the daughter of Bishumaya who was hidden by the circus people. On seeing the girl, the circus owner, Raza Khan became very angry and within moments he threatened to kill me. In front of the SDM, the police and the media he shouted that from here until Delhi he will follow me. After this the SDM said, I can't say anything, now whatewver happens, will be your responsibility. The next moment, Raja Khan took out his pistol and unlocking it lept towards me. After this, his so called manager and his gang started pushing me. Seeing the clear conspiracy between the police, the local administration, SDM and the circus owners, we felt it was better that we should leave the circus. When we started runing out, the circus owner told that the gate should be locked from the inside. But, fortunately before the lock was put my team members could force the gate open and take me out. When in this confusion we tried to sit in our car and leave, we noticed that a police vehicle had blocked our way. Through the fields this was the only way to the circus. Left with no other option, we ran through the fields. But there was a canal next to the fields because of which the car could not move any further. By this time many people from the circus had surrounded the car with iron rods and bamboo sticks. When we got out of the car to cross the canal on foot, some of the hunchmen of the circus qwner following us attacked from both the sides in which I got a very deep cut on my head. Blood started flowing profusely and even in that state they kept on attacking me on my back and legs with iron rods. My son, Bhuvan tried to save me and he also came under the attack and was brutally beaten. Our activist, Govind and the Nepali parents also sustained injuries. Somehow we managed to get into another car and reached Lucknow, where we went to Mayo hospital for treatment.

From the start we had told the local administration that we will take the responsibility of taking all the minor children and others who will be rescued to their parents safely. Till the time the children are taken to their parents all the girls can stay at the BBA run Balika Ashram in Delhi. Also, the officials from are partner NGO in Nepal, N.C. W. F are continuously with us in this effort and are ready to take the girls safely back to Nepal to be with their parents. I and this organisation have requested the local administration and the SP to give us the responsibility of the underage girls. This incident has again highlighted the “Gunda Raj” (anarchy) present in the local administration and the police in the state.

It is to be noted that, taking into account the bad name that this circus has and the objectionable attitude of the local administration, I had met the state's Welfare Minister, Sh. Awadhesh Prasad the night before the incident. He called the police personnnels over the telephone and instructed them to provide police protection to me. I also met a senior minister of the state, Sh. Balram Yadav, and got them to confirm that the local administration will undertake legal action to release the girls from the circus. The Samajwadi Party MP from Lakhimpur Khiri, Sh. Ravi Prakash Verma has also written a letter requesting the local administration to help us in this regard.

It is clear that the administration in Uttar Pradesh has ignored everything and there is total anarchy in the state. In these circumstances, we are putting our demands before the State Government –

The daughters of the Nepali parents who are present here should be immediately searched for and handed over to them. All minor girls, who are still with the circus under the guise of safety should be immediately released and taken safely to their families in Nepal or should be handed to us.

SDM, Sh Hawaldar Yadav and the SP, Sh S.N Singh should be suspended from office immediately. Also, a case should be filed against them in the court to conspire with the circus owner under attempt to murder me. Circus owner, Raza Khan and his manager should be arrested and they should be booked under trafficking of girls, holding them under bondage and for their life threatening attacks and their attempt to murder me and my team members.

All girls should be taken for physical and psychological examination and the licence of this circus should be cancelled.

The state government should order an investigation on humanrights and child rights violation in all the circuses running in the state.
If within the next 24 hours, no official actions are taken, I will protest against the violence and the increasing anarchy in the state and would sit on indefinite hunger strike in Lucknow in front of the state assembly. The responsibility of this situation will lie on the state government.

Sincerely

Kailash Satyarthi