Children who were said to be rescued by the police and some NGOs in ‘Operation Muskaan’ said they were not working in any establishment as stated by the police.
The Vijayawada City Police, in association with some NGO homes, took up the operation on April 4. They reportedly rescued 62 children, including a girl, and produced them before the mediapersons.
However, the children said they were not employed in any shop or any establishment. Parents, who were summoned to take charge of their children, said they had not engaged them for work and that they were studying.
Officials said the theme of ‘Operation Muskaan’ was to trace the missing children and reunite them with their parents, particularly the neighbouring States. But rescuing child labour would not come under the operation, they clarified.
“We went to the ground to play in the morning. While we were returning, the police rounded up and shifted us to the press meet venue. We didn’t know what was happening,” a ninth standard student said.
Not child labour
The police said many children, who were wandering at the railway station, were rescued and they would be handed over to their parents. Contrary to the police statement, some of the victims were aged above 15 and did not come under the child labour. They were students in various schools.
“We run a small hotel and my son used to help us in bringing the material from home. On April 4, the police picked him up. He was studying eighth class and argued that he was not a child labour. How could a boy, who was helping his parents, be treated as a child labour,” a mother asked and blamed the NGOs for misguiding the police.
Of the 62 children rescued, 47 were from Andhra Pradesh, nine from Rajasthan, three from Uttar Pradesh and one boy was from Telangana, a police officer said.“I am 17 and a native of Rajasthan. We [I and my brother] are running a tea stall in the city. The police picked me up saying I am a child labour. The police officers are just doing all this for publicity,” the boy said.
