Fourteen year old Akash, a ninth std student of Kundapura, was found travelling alone in school uniform in the general coach of train no. 11098 Poorna Express when he was spotted by a RPF team during a routing drive to prevent eunuch menace in trains.
Upon enquiring, the boy gave some vague replies. Suspecting that he is lying, the RPF personnel de-boarded him and brought him to the RPF outpost. The boy finally spilled the beans and informed that he had run away from his home to escape daily torture by his father. He said that he left his school bicycle at Kundapura Railway station and had boarded the train so that he could go to Mumbai and then from there travel towards West Bengal where his relatives stay.
The RPF informed the boy’s parents and asked them to come to the RPF outpost. When the parents reached there, the visibly shocked father, who is working as a car driver in the Gulf and was visiting them on a holiday, said that he had scolded his son for not performing well in the exams and had restricted his wandering in the evenings so that he should devote time to his studies.
The boy was counselled by the RPF personnel, but as he was not willing to go with his parents, the RPF called the President of the Parents Association of schools of Bhatkal area, Radhakrishan Bhat, to the station. After being counseled by Shri Bhat, the boy agreed to go back home and promised that he would not repeat this.
KRC Chief Public Relations Officer said this act of the RPF was lauded by Bhat and the parents of the boy who were profusely thankful to the RPF Sub-Inspector – Santosh Gaonkar and the Constable – Praveen K, for reuniting their son with them.
