Police treat children to cricket match

In a novel initiative by the Delhi Police, a few children belonging to the Capital's red light area were in for a pleasant surprise on Tuesday, when they were taken to watch a cricket match between England and Delhi, HT reports.

In a novel initiative by the Delhi Police, a few children belonging to the Capital's red light area were in for a pleasant surprise on Tuesday, when they were taken to watch a cricket match between England and Delhi.

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More than a dozen children of sex workers of the infamous Garstin Bastion (GB) Road area had the opportunity to interact with cricketers at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium. Differently-abled children and young boys, who are associated with the Delhi Police's 'Yuva' programme, were also given the opportunity to watch the friendly match.

"It was a gesture meant to make underprivileged children feel special. They were encouraged to watch the entire match and we had created a special stand for them. They were also given food and a few players interacted with them later," Devesh Srivastava, additional CP (Central) said.

Around 500 children, who are associated with several NGOs, were taken to the stadium at noon. "In their daily life, they never get such opportunities to watch matches even on television. This was a huge opportunity for them and they cheered after every ball," a senior police officer said.

"We plan to bring the children staying in the GB Road area into the mainstream. As part of this initiative, we are currently educating them and also planning to send them to mainstream schools," the officer added.