In a heart-rending incident, the district authorities today rescued five children from a farm house at Kempegowdana Hundi, located in the outskirts of city this morning.

It is said that all these five children were brought from Pudumalai near Vellore in Tamil Nadu by their father Mayavan, who was employed at the farm house by one Zafrullah, a resident of Mandi Mohalla in city.

Zafrullah owns a 9-acre farm at Kempegowdana Hundi in Mysore and is said to have employed Mayavan to look after the farm in his absence. Mayavan, father of 5 children namely, Papitha, 12, Kavitha, 10, Valleru, 7, Perarasu, 3 and Durga, 2, brought them from his native to stay at the farm house after the death of his wife Chamundeshwari in a car accident sometime ago. Mayavan had been working in the farm for the past one month. It is said that from the past eight days, Mayavan had left for Tamil Nadu leaving his children behind. Sources said that Zafrullah denied Mayavan the permission to take his children to his native citing that he would not return.

The children have been living at the farm house without food and in an unhygienic condition. The farm house does not even have electricity connection. The kids have been living inside a room where chicken are kept.

Before leaving to TN, Mayavan had only given them raw rice which somebody had to cook for them as none of the children knew cooking.

The children also alleged that Zafrullah had warned them not to eat any of the fruits grown in the farm.

This incident came to light when some labourers working nearby heard the cries of the children from the farm house.

Later, the labourers visited the farm house and on enquiry, they learnt that Mayavan had gone out of station. The villagers, unknowing about the real fact, left the place offering them with some food thinking that their father would return by evening.

That night, the children starved again without food. The next morning when they were crying, the villagers, who once again visited the farm house, found that Mayavan had not returned even after four days. Following this, the villagers served the children with food and later informed the media persons regarding the incident.

The media persons in turn informed local Police who conducted a raid on the farm house along with District Child Welfare officials this morning. Mysore Rural South Sub-Inspector Venkateshaiah, District Child Welfare Officer Sumalatha conducted the raid and rescued the children. SP Abhinav Khare, Dy.SP T. Siddappa, Inspector Nemiraj and others visited the spot.

During the raid, it was also noticed the SI Venkateshaiah contacted farm house owner Zafrullah, who informed Police that the children were not brought by him but it was Mayavan, who had brought the children to the farm house. It is said that he also requested the Police not to book any case against him.

The farm is also located at a place where leopards and poisonous snakes are usually sighted. While the children were being taken away, villagers were in tears and in fact some of them asked the officials to handover the children to their custody.

Police have recorded the statement of the children who will be produced before the Juvenile Court.

Police said that the children below five years would be sent to Bapuji Children's Home while the rest would be sent to juvenile home. They also said that charges against Zafrullah would be framed after recording the statement of the children. It is also alleged that the children were being used as domestic help at the farm house. However, Mayavan is yet to return from Pudumalai.

The Police will sure press charges against an irresponsible father, who had deserted his children at the farm house since the past eight days.

Courtesy : Star Of Mysore