Cops 'rehabilitate' child beggars by beating them

Police allegedly beat up children begging at a temple as well as their mothers at Dewas in Madhya Pradesh today – while assisting the women and child welfare department in a campaign to reform and rehabilitate child beggars.

Police allegedly beat up children begging at a temple as well as their mothers at Dewas in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday – while assisting the women and child welfare department in a campaign to reform and rehabilitate child beggars.

The department officials, led by child and women empowerment officer Neelam Sood, along with policemen reached the Sai temple complex to remove the child beggars.

However, the cops began thrashing the minors as they forced them into a single car. There were at least nine children, said eyewitnesses at the temple.

Eyewitnesses added that when the children’s mothers protested, the policemen misbehaved with them and assaulted them as well.

The devotees at the temple complex also protested against the brutal treatment of the children by the police.

“We did ask the police for their help in this plan, but they were not instructed to beat up the children,” Sood told Hindustan Times.

Superintendent of police Anil Maheswari has asked officials to look into the matter. Dewas MP Sajjan Singh Verma also asked for action against the high-handed cops.