Is the deaf and mute Indian girl stuck in Pakistan for 14 years is Savita of Pratapgarh, as claimed by the family members here on Thursday. If family claimed turned out to be true then the reel life story of Bollywood blockbuster, Bajranji Bhaijan would turned out to be a real life story. Interestingly, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, already made a move to get the things verified and assured to re-unite the Pakistani ‘Geeta’ with her family members.
Sources said that after going through the Facebook campaign to re-unite Pakistan’s ‘Geeta’ with her parents here in India, a family hailing from Maheshganj area of Pratapgarp came forward, claiming that the child was their missing daughter Savita. According to IG (law and order) A Satish Ganesh, one Ramraj Gautam contacted the District Magistrate of Pratapgarh, and disclosed that Geeta was his missing daughter Savita. Ramraj, disclosed that he and his wife Anara Devi had four children — Savitri, Sarita, Savita (whom he claimed to be Geeta of Pakistan), Antima — and two sons — Pintu and Rishu.
Ramraj claimed that his wife’s brother Narain Das had not married and turned down to be a saint and had opened an ashram in Salempur area of Chapra in Bihar. He revealed that when Savita, who was deaf and dumb and was 4-year-old, she went to her maternal uncle’s house at Chapra along with her mother but suddenly she disappeared. He said that they launched a search and suspected that as Narain Das’s Ashram was just near the railway station, she might had catch a train to Punjab from where she might have crossed the Indian border to reach Pakistan. He also said to have lodged a case of missing with the Chapra Police. According to Ramraj, he said that after looking photos and video of Pakistani Geeta, he identified her to be his daughter Savita.
Ganesh said that on basis of the claim, the District Magistrate of Pratapgarh is now forwarding a letter to the Union Government to confirm the claims and if Pakistani Geeta and Ramraj’s Savita are same girl and subsequently to make necessary efforts to re-unite the girl with her family members with the help of Pakistani counterparts.
It be may be mentioned that in 2003, the woman — then 11-year-old — was spotted by the Pakistan Rangers in lahore after she strayed across the border. She was handed over to the Edhi Foundation, a well-known social welfare organisation in Pakistan run by Abdul Sattar Edhi and his wife, Bilquis Edhi. Named Geeta by Bilquis Edhi, the woman lived in different shelter homes run by the foundation. After spending some time at an Edhi Centre in lahore, the girl was shifted to a Karachi shelter.
Now 23-year-old, Geeta is believed to have mistakenly crossed into the Pakistani territory as a child. The shelter home’s staff have created a separate praying room for her, adorning it with colourful posters of Hindu deities. “She is a devout Hindu and has even put up colourful posters of Hindu deities, and an earthen lamp on the table,” Human rights activist claimed. Reports said that with the success of the Salman Khan-starrer Bajrangi Bhaijan, activists are making efforts to reunite Geeta with her family in India.