On the silent night of June 15th 2024, when Sofiya was sleeping peacefully with her school bag kept on her bookshelf, ready to be taken in the morning, a group of policemen, accompanied by bulldozers, came and demolished her house without a warning.
Her house was demolished on mere suspicion of “beef trading.” With no evidence or legal notice. Along with that, the district administration razed 14 other houses to the ground in her vicinity, Bhainswahi village, a tribal-dominated area in Mandla, Madhya Pradesh.
The houses were reportedly demolished in an operation targeting cow smuggling and beef trading. However, the victims claim that no beef was found and no smuggling was done.
Sofiya sat with her wet books and roofless life. Who is responsible for this? Did she deserve this? What will happen next? Make the rounds in her mind.
Her mother, Gulshan, tried to safeguard the house but failed. Amidst the bulldozers, policemen, and hubbub, she fought to save her house but could not. “They have made us homeless,” Gulshan said while talking to the Shaagird Foundation.
“We are left with nothing; they destroyed it all. Where will we go now?” she added. Gulshan further revealed that she spent her Eid sitting near the debris of her demolished house. She begged neighbors to give them shelter, but no one came forward.
Seeing her mother’s condition and witnessing her cries, Sofiya turned crestfallen; her heart was broken. She simply just gave up on the desire to study and dream. However, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, and this light came in the form of the Shaagird Foundation.
Shaagird Foundation helped her rekindle the education and start dreaming like before, even bigger ones. With the help of the Foundation, Sofiya is continuing with her studies and is in 7th grade, dreaming of becoming a teacher in the future.
Along with her, the Shaagird Foundation has sponsored the education of her siblings—Tasleem (8th standard), Mahira (2nd standard), and Saif (2nd standard).
Sofiya and her siblings now attend school free from the weight of loss and despair, guided instead by their dreams and aspirations.
