Delhi Police's Daring Rescue: 21 Children Freed from Child Labor

In a joint operation, Delhi Police, backed by NGOs and local authorities, rescued 21 children, including two girls, from child labor in Sadar Bazar. Legal actions have been taken under child protection laws. This follows a similar rescue on October 3, where 14 minors were saved from trafficking.

In a commendable operation spearheaded by the Delhi Police, 21 children, comprising two girls, have been successfully rescued from the harsh realities of child labor in the bustling Sadar Bazar area of Delhi Cantonment as confirmed by officials on Wednesday. This rescue was orchestrated by the Delhi Cantonment Tehsildar on October 8, in collaboration with a non-governmental organization, labor department, and local law enforcement personnel.

Post-rescue, 19 of the children have been safely relocated to Mukti Ashram Burari, while the two girls have found refuge at Rainbow Girls Home located at Kashmiri Gate. Legal proceedings have been initiated by registering a case at the Delhi Cantonment Police Station citing violations under Sections 74 and 79 of the Juvenile Justice Act along with Sections 3 and 14 of the Child Labor Act.

This operation mirrors a similar rescue executed on October 3, where a coalition led by the Vidisha Welfare Social Organisation (VWSO), alongside the Government Railway Police (GRP), freed 14 minors destined for child labor during a routine inspection on the Ahmedabad Express train at the Ganjbasoda railway station. The contractor accused of trafficking the minors was arrested by the Railway Police during the operation.

The alert GRP personnel unraveled this trafficking ring following a routine inspection which unearthed 10 children in questionable circumstances. Promptly, the VWSO team was alerted and transported the minors to Vidisha, unveiling their harrowing journey from Bihar to Ahmedabad intended for child labor exploitation. In a subsequent operation in Bhopal, the remaining four children were rescued, as relayed by Deepa Sharma of VWSO to ANI.

(With inputs from agencies.)