Operation Muskaan Rescues Over 6,000 Children

HYDERABAD: Telangana police rescued 6,307 children from six states and 40 from Nepal during Operation Muskaan–XII, conducted over the past seven months, said Charu Sinha, Director-General, women safety wing (WSW) police.

The nationwide initiative of the Union ministry of home affairs was carried out across Telangana in July under the Women Safety Wing, which is the nodal agency for the programme in the state.

She said 6,307 children were rescued, among them 5,892 boys and 415 girls. Of them, 3,447 were from Telangana and 2,860 from 15 states including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Jharkhand and 40 from Nepal. She said one of them was employed as a bonded labour, while 647 were found on the streets and 43 engaged in seeking alms.

DG Sinha said the police 1,705 FIRs and arrested 1,710 accused. She said 5,737 children were reunited with their families and 570 admitted to child care institutions.

Teams comprising 620 police personnel were deployed in convergence with the women development and child welfare department, labour, health, child welfare committees (CWCs), district child protection units (DCPUs) and NGOs. Vulnerable areas such as railway and bus stations, religious sites, brick kilns, mechanic shops, construction sites and tea stalls were mapped, she said.

Children were rescued from establishments including hotels and dhabas, construction sites, grocery and kirana shops, automobile and transport sectors, retail shops and offices, meat and chicken shops, brick kilns, roof tile units, welding workshops, bakeries, footwear shops and electrical and electronics shops. The operation also covered school dropouts and those engaged in child labour across these sectors.