Patna Launches Major Crackdown on Child Begging: 20 Children Rescued

New Delhi, December 27, 2025: In a significant move to eradicate child exploitation and human trafficking, the Patna district administration conducted a massive rescue operation on Friday, December 26, 2025. A specialized joint task force successfully rescued 20 children and four women from various high-traffic locations across the city.

Following the operation, District Magistrate (DM) Dr. Thiyagarajan SM issued a stern directive, ordering that these anti-begging drives be conducted every 15 days to ensure the city remains free from the scourge of organized begging.

Details of the Operation

The drive was a coordinated effort involving the District Child Protection Unit, the Child Helpline (1098), and the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit. Teams fanned out across several prominent landmarks and religious sites, including:

• Dak Bungalow Crossing and Exhibition Road
• Buddha Smriti Park
• ISKCON Temple and Rajvanshi Nagar Hanuman Temple

According to officials, the rescued children—all under the age of 18—were being used to solicit alms, a practice that deprives them of their fundamental rights to education and a safe childhood. Among the rescued, some children were found to be from as far as the Sonbhadra district in Uttar Pradesh and Nalanda in Bihar, suggesting a wider network of exploitation.

Rehabilitation and Legal Action

Immediately following the rescue, all individuals were produced before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC). To ensure their long-term safety and rehabilitation, the administration has taken the following steps:

1. Shelter for Minors: Seven girls and six boys have been transferred to large-scale government shelter homes in Bihta for comprehensive care.
2. Support for Women: The four women found with the children were shifted to ‘Shanti Kutir’, a facility operated under the Chief Minister’s Beggary Prevention Scheme.
3. Mainstreaming: The administration aims to enroll these children in formal education and link their families to government welfare schemes to prevent them from returning to the streets.

A Vision for a “Beggar-Free” Patna

DM Dr. Thiyagarajan SM emphasized that these bi-monthly drives are not merely about removal but about reintegration. By making the drives a permanent fixture of the city’s administrative calendar, the government hopes to dismantle the “professional begging” syndicates that often operate behind the scenes.

“Every child has a constitutional right to live with dignity. We are committed to breaking the cycle of forced begging and ensuring these children are in schools, not on the streets,” the DM stated.