Mangalore-born German woman says she was a victim of child trafficking

[email protected] (CD Network)
October 2, 2014

Mangalore, Oct 2: In an apparent case of child trafficking and conversion, a Mangalore-origin woman, who had been trafficked to Germany through a local Christian organization more than three decades ago, is now demanding justice.

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According to Maria Chaya Schupp, a Germen citizen, she was born in a Hindu family at Ullal in Mangalore taluk, and was adopted by a German couple through Ullal based Nirmala Social Welfare Centre, run by Society of Sisters for Charity in 1981 when she was six.

Speaking to media persons here, Chaya, who is now 37, said that she had been pursuing to trace her biological mother since 1999. She alleged that the centre through wish she was adopted is refusing to divulge more details about her because the adaptation process was illegal.

"I'd like to take legal action against the Nirmala Social Welfare Centre, Ullal, Selvam Raj Kennett of Kennett Hospital, Madurai and all other persons involved in my illegal adoption,'' said Chaya, who is now a resident of Dieburg, 30km from Frankfurt in southern Germany.

Chaya has sought assistance from local lawyer Dinesh Hegde Ulepady, who inspected her adoption documents at the Madurai Court on August 23 this year. In 1981, Selvam had filed an application in the Madurai District Court, seeking permission to send Chaya to Germany. In her application Selvam said Chaya, born on March 24, 1976 was abandoned when she was 10 months old in 1977. Chaya says she vividly remembers she was with her mother till 1981 in Ullal and suspects kidnapping.

Recalling her childhood she spent in Hampankatta with her mother, she alleges many children may have been taken away from their biological parents for adoption. "The reason for this adoption racket is money which I can see in my case too. My adoptive parents Wolfgang and Ingrid Schupp paid DM 5000 deutsche marks (Rs 13,000 at that time) in 1981,'' she said.

When she returned to India in 1999, along with her foster mother, in search of her roots, Sisters at Nirmala Centre said her records were destroyed in rain and they had only her baptism record, where her name was referred as Chaya Maria. In 2005, and next year, her efforts to trace her roots were in vain.

œThough I belong to a Hindu family from Ullal, there's a certificate of baptism issued by St Sebastian's Church, Permannur (Ullal) which states I was baptized on January 15, 1980. When I went there, the parish priest said there were no baptism records,  Chaya said suspecting that baptism may have been done because the German couple wanted a Christian child.

Chaya said that when she approached Ullal Police, their response was lukewarm as they merely asked Sisters about the records and returned. DK District Child Welfare Committee was also cold in their attitude, she said asserting that she has vivid memory of living at Nirmala Centre.

In her pursuit of justice, Chaya had approached High Court in 2009 but the single bench court dismissed the writ petition. She filed an appeal and in March 20, 2013, the HC asked Ullal Police to investigate the matter, who merely returned from Nirmala Centre when told no records were available.
In High Court, Society of Sisters for Charity, Nirmala Social Welfare Cente denied Chaya's contention she had been kidnapped from her biological mother and adopted.

The institution argued that prior to 1984, no formal recognition and licence was required to engage in adoption work. Currently, Maria Chaya Schupp is pursuing PhD at Kassel University in Germany.

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News Network
March 27,2024

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Hassan: Former Prime Minister and JD(S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda has announced that his son, former Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy will contest from state's Mandya parliamentary seat as NDA candidate.

Deve Gowda told reporters on Tuesday that the decision to field Kumaraswamy, who is also JD(S) state president, in Lok Sabha polls from the Mandya seat was taken amid mounting public demand. "People are demanding that Kumaraswamy should contest from Mandya. In the core committee meeting as well, all members suggested that he should contest from Mandya," Deve Gowda said.

The former Chief Minister's son Nikhil Kumaraswamy had lost to independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh from Mandya in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

The JD(S) supremo further said that the name of senior leader Mallesh Babu has been finalised from the Kolar seat.

Deve Gowda's grandson and former Karnataka Minister H. D. Revanna's son sitting JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna will be contesting as the NDA candidate from the Hassan seat.

Earlier in the day, Kumaraswamy in a media briefing indicated that he would contest from Mandya amid mounting public pressure on him.

Congress has fielded Venkatarame Gowda popularly known as ‘Star Chandru’ from the Mandya seat dominated by Vokkaligas. Star Chandru is a close associate of Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.

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News Network
March 15,2024

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Bengaluru, Mar 15: Former Karnataka chief minister and senior BJP leader B S Yediyurappa was booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act on Thursday for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor at his residence in Bengaluru last month.

Yediyurappa, 81, was booked after a woman lodged a complaint saying that she visited his residence on February 2 seeking justice in a rape case against her daughter and sought that a special investigation team (SIT) be formed to look into the case.

According to the first information report (FIR), Yediyurappa allegedly took the minor to a room, closed the door and sexually assaulted her. The woman further alleged in the FIR that when she confronted Yediyurappa, he said that he was checking if the girl was raped or not. Yediyurappa later allegedly apologised and asked the woman not to reveal the matter to anyone.

The Sadashivanagar police in Bengaluru have registered a case under Section 8 (commit sexual assault) of the Pocso Act and Section 354 (a) (sexual harassment) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Reacting to the allegations, the former CM said that around one-and-a-half months ago, they (the victim and her mother) had come to his house seeking help and he had taken them inside. 

“After listening to her, I called the city police commissioner B Dayananda over phone seeking to address her problem. Later, they spoke against me and I then suspected that there is some health problem with her. I sent them to city police commissioner’s office. I even gave her some money as they were in distress. I came to know that an FIR has been registered and will look into it. But this is what I get for helping someone,” he added.

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News Network
March 28,2024

Mangaluru, Mar 28: Dakshina Kannada deputy commissioner Mullai Muhilan MP has warned the individuals and political parties against the poll code violations during private events. 
 
“Private events such as marriages, birthdays, housewarming ceremonies, and other non-political programmes do not require any permission. However, one should ensure that there is no violation of the model code of conduct (MCC) at these functions. Permission is needed if the events are attended by politicians or candidates,” the DC said. 

He said that these gatherings will be under the surveillance of MCC teams, as there are chances of luring voters by campaigning and supplying food, said the DC. The district has 38,386 new voters, of which, 19,619 are men.

He said that the notification of election in Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha constituency will be issued soon, and the filing of nominations will be held between 11 am and 3 pm till April 4. 

Only five persons, including the candidate, will be allowed to enter the returning officer’s chamber to submit the nominations. A facilitation centre will be opened at the DC’s office. 

The expenditure of the candidate will be counted from the day the candidate files the nomination.

The DC said that the district is not an expenditure-sensitive constituency. Assistant expenditure observers and expenditure observers will monitor the expenditure of the candidates. An expenditure book will be provided to the candidate to record expenditure incurred, he explained.

Further, he said that no election materials can be printed without the name and address of the publishers, and the number of copies printed. Separate permission should be availed for procession prior to the submission of nomination papers from the ARO office, through the single-window system.

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