Nine minors being taken to Punjab & Bihar for child labour rescued in Lucknow

LUCKNOW In yet another major rescue operation within a week, nine boys -- all aged between 12 and 16 years -- were stopped from being taken to other states for child labour at the city’s Aishbagh railway station. Some of these rescued children were being taken to Haryana and Punjab and the remaining to Chhapra (Bihar) in search of work.

The rescue operation carried out on Thursday was led by a joint team of rescue workers from Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), anti-human trafficking unit, and the Railway Protection Force. The team intercepted the group of children, who were being accompanied by four adults. This comes just a week after 11 boys were rescued from the same railway station. The minors rescued then are currently awaiting a CWC (Child Welfare Commission) order to return home.

Interestingly, in both the rescue operations, the minors were found to be on-board the Amrapali Express (15707), which runs between Katihar and Amritsar. Sharing further details on the latest rescue, Krishna Pratap Sharma, assistant project manager with BBA Lucknow, said, “We got a tip-off from Bihar itself that these children were being transported. Acting on the input, we carried out the rescue operation. A few small groups active in all districts inform the main BBA office in Delhi as soon as they get to know about children being moved somewhere.”

During the interrogation, the four men, who were transporting the children, confessed that they were taking the children to Jalandhar, Ambala and Govind Nagar, to make them work at chicken farms, a maize factory and an iron factory. They revealed that they would pay the boys Rs. 9-10,000 monthly, for 14-16 hours of work daily. Further probe is underway.

The rescued children are currently at the Government Bal Griha on Mohan Road and are awaiting CWC action. Meanwhile, the four men, who were apprehended with the children, are being charged under 370 (5) of the IPC, for trafficking of persons.

Separately, the medical examination of the 11 children, who were rescued on June 7, has been completed. Their age verification process has also been finished. Also, the CWC has been informed. Now, the parents of these children will be summoned to take them home,” said Subhash Singh, caretaker of the Mohan Road Bal Griha.

In this case too, the two men, who were accompanying the children on the train, were held. They are currently lodged in the Lucknow jail. The accused duo is awaiting trial and are looking at a possible prison sentence, according to Railway Protection Force commandant Chandra Mohan Mishra.