18 children rescued from unregistered madrasa in Para

Initially, six children were apprehended along with an adult male named Mohd. Jamshedpur Alam from Alambagh, Neharia crossing.

LUCKNOW As many as 18 boys, aged 5 to 14 years, were rescued from an unregistered madrasa in Para following a tip-off from the state commission for child rights protection on Thursday morning. The information was provided by the Delhi-based non-profit organization, Mission Mukti.

The information was provided by the Delhi-based non-profit organization, Mission Mukti. (HT File)

Initially, six children were apprehended along with an adult male named Mohd. Jamshedpur Alam from Alambagh, Neharia crossing. They were en route to the unregistered Madrasa Arabia Fazle Rahman, which operates under the jurisdiction of the Para police station. An additional 12 children were found already at the establishment, reportedly brought to Lucknow from Araria about eight months ago by the same individual.

According to rescue workers, the building was in a severely deteriorated state and lacked electricity. “The madrasa is not only unregistered but also in a state of disrepair. Furthermore, these children have been brought far away from their families under the guise of madrasa education. This raises the question of why they couldn’t attend a madrasa in Bihar itself,” said Sangeeta Sharma, director of Childline, who participated in the rescue mission.

The rescue team comprised members from Childline Lucknow, Bachpan Bachao Andolan Lucknow, and an officer from the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit. They successfully located the children and presented them before the Child Welfare Committee.

Presently, all the children are housed in government shelters, and investigations are underway while efforts are being made to establish contact with their parents. An FIR has been lodged against the individual responsible for bringing these children, though he has yet to be detained.