The Uttar Pradesh Child Commission rescued 95 children on Friday who were reportedly being transported from Bihar to Uttar Pradesh illegally, highlighting concerns surrounding child trafficking.
Sarvesh Awasthi, Chairperson of the Ayodhya Child Welfare Committee, stated that they received information from UP Child Commission member Suchitra Chaturvedi on Friday morning, leading to the rescue of the children. Awasthi explained, “At around 9 am, UP Child Commission member Suchitra Chaturvedi called and said that from Bihar, minor children are being transported to Saharanpur illegally and that they’re were in Gorakhpur and will go via Ayodhya. We rescued the children and they were given food and medical assistance.”
He mentioned that the rescued children, aged between 4 and 12, were brought without consent letters from parents. Most of them were unaware of their destination. Awasthi added, “Parents are being contacted and children will be handed over once they arrive. There were a total of 95 children.”
Previously, a group of children from Bihar destined for madrasas across states were rescued by the Uttar Pradesh State Child Commission in Gorakhpur. The rescue operation was conducted at the direction of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).
Priyank Kanoongo, Chairperson of NCPCR, shared the news of the children’s rescue in a post on social media. He wrote, “Innocent children who were being sent to madrasas in other states from Bihar have been rescued in Gorakhpur with the help of Uttar Pradesh State Child Commission on the instructions of @NCPCR.”
Kanoongo emphasized the importance of education for every child as mandated by the Indian Constitution, stating, “The Constitution of India has given the right to education to every child. It is compulsory for every child to go to school. In such a situation, taking poor children to other states and keeping them in madrasas to earn donations on the basis of religion is a violation of the Constitution.”
He also urged for lodging an FIR in the incident to prevent such crimes, noting, “To prevent such crimes, it is necessary to lodge an FIR in the incident, which the Gorakhpur Railway Police has not done yet.”