<p>When members of the Child Welfare Committee caught 14-year-old Kishore at Moradabad railway station, along with 13 other children, all aged around 14, during a drive on Friday, they were unaware of his story.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The members were shocked to know that Kishore, now a drug addict, had been ‘sold’ by his father to a wealthy farmer in the neighbouring Budaun district to pay a debt losing a bet.<br /><br />Kishore told CWC members that his father, who was a habitual gambler, had lost Rs 3,000 in gambling. “When the winner insisted on payment, my father asked him to keep me in exchange for the money,” he said.<br /><br />Kishore, who was third among seven siblings, was made to work in the fields like a slave by the man. “One day I managed to flee from the clutches of my master and reached Moradabad,” he told them.<br /><br />Kishore joined a band of young boys selling water in re-cycled bottles to train passengers. <br /><br />“We used to collect the water bottles thrown by passengers on the railway lines, fill them with water and sell them again,” he said.<br /><br />He and other children were all drug addicts. “The drugs, which they call whitener, are easily available at shops around the station. A small pack costs Rs 5 to 10 only,” he said.<br /><br />CWC president Dr Vishesh Gupta said all these children needed to be treated at de-addiction centres. <br /><br />“We are trying to trace Kishore’s parents and inform them about him so that he may be united with his family,” Gupta said. <br /><br />He added that he had asked a senior police officials to take stern action against shops selling contraband around the station. <br /><br />He also said such exercises would be regularly conducted at railway stations and other places.</p>
<p>When members of the Child Welfare Committee caught 14-year-old Kishore at Moradabad railway station, along with 13 other children, all aged around 14, during a drive on Friday, they were unaware of his story.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The members were shocked to know that Kishore, now a drug addict, had been ‘sold’ by his father to a wealthy farmer in the neighbouring Budaun district to pay a debt losing a bet.<br /><br />Kishore told CWC members that his father, who was a habitual gambler, had lost Rs 3,000 in gambling. “When the winner insisted on payment, my father asked him to keep me in exchange for the money,” he said.<br /><br />Kishore, who was third among seven siblings, was made to work in the fields like a slave by the man. “One day I managed to flee from the clutches of my master and reached Moradabad,” he told them.<br /><br />Kishore joined a band of young boys selling water in re-cycled bottles to train passengers. <br /><br />“We used to collect the water bottles thrown by passengers on the railway lines, fill them with water and sell them again,” he said.<br /><br />He and other children were all drug addicts. “The drugs, which they call whitener, are easily available at shops around the station. A small pack costs Rs 5 to 10 only,” he said.<br /><br />CWC president Dr Vishesh Gupta said all these children needed to be treated at de-addiction centres. <br /><br />“We are trying to trace Kishore’s parents and inform them about him so that he may be united with his family,” Gupta said. <br /><br />He added that he had asked a senior police officials to take stern action against shops selling contraband around the station. <br /><br />He also said such exercises would be regularly conducted at railway stations and other places.</p>
