Thirty-three children, who were allegedly being taken trafficked to Delhi and Punjab, were rescued from the Allahabad railway junction on Friday and 11 people were detained by police, officials said. Juvenile Court Magistrate Md Hasan Zaidi said that these children belong to Bihar and West Bengal and were rescued from the North East Special train at the station.
"The children are with us and their protection and welfare will be looked after by us (Child Welfare Committee)," he said, adding that their parents will be informed and after verification, they will be handed over to them. The committee will also look after their rehabilitation, Zaidi said.
The action was taken on a letter from the Bachapan Bachao Andolan and the children were rescued by personnel of the Government Railway Police (GRP), Railway Protection Force and Railway Child Line, he said
"Eleven people were taken into custody. They, during questioning, said some were being taken to Madrasas for education and some to Ludhiana for weaving work," Zaidi said.
However, all educational institutions are closed due to Covid and the GRP has been asked to investigate the matter, the magistrate said.