Ahmedabad, June 24 (IANS) As Ahmedabad steps up preparations to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games and bolster India’s bid for the 2036 Olympic Games, city authorities have launched an intensive campaign against child begging and street exploitation aiming at enhancing child welfare, improving urban safety and ensuring cleaner public spaces, in line with the city’s efforts to project a positive image ahead of major international sporting events.
Over the past two days, joint teams comprising officials from the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), the Mahila Cell of the Ahmedabad Crime Branch, the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU), local police, social welfare agencies and child protection authorities have carried out extensive drives against child begging in several of the city’s busiest commercial hubs and tourist destinations.
The campaign has led to the rescue of dozens of children and adults, with authorities simultaneously stepping up efforts to identify vulnerable minors, verify their family backgrounds and curb instances of exploitation.
The campaign comes at a time when Ahmedabad is positioning itself as a global sporting destination.
Ahmedabad has been confirmed as the host city for the 2030 Commonwealth Games, an event that officials describe as a “stepping stone” towards India’s broader push to secure the 2036 Olympic Games. As part of that effort, several major sports infrastructure projects are already underway across the Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar region.
The authorities on Monday conducted a special anti-begging drive in the city’s north-west and south-west zones covering 41 identified hotspots. During the campaign, as many as 44 children were rescued and placed with the Child Welfare Committee (CWC).
Four children were shifted to child protection homes, while the remaining 40 were reunited with their parents after assurances that they would not be used for begging in future.
Fifteen men and five women were produced before a court and subsequently shifted to beggar homes at Odhav and Dabhoda.
A day later, another drive in Ahmedabad’s west zone covered more than 34 hotspots in which 16 children were rescued, of whom nine, along with their parents, were shifted to AMC-operated shelter homes. Seven children were returned with their parents after the latter gave undertakings that the children would not be engaged in begging in the future.
Thirteen men and 39 women were also presented before a court and transferred to rehabilitation facilities.
According to Ahmedabad Crime Branch officials, the current operation is part of a greater effort that has been underway for more than two years.
DCP (Crime) Ajit Rajian said the Mahila Cell of the Crime Branch had been taking action against individuals involving children in begging activities since 2024.
“For the past two years, the Mahila Cell has been taking stringent action against individuals who have been soliciting children into the act of begging. More than 200 children had been rescued from begging activities during this period, and over 60 had been successfully enrolled in AMC schools,” he told IANS.
Official data shared by the Crime Branch shows that since 2024, authorities have rescued 276 children, traced and reunited 33 missing children with their families, registered 22 cases under the Juvenile Justice Act involving 67 children rescued from begging, and carried out 33 raids against child labour in which 107 children were rescued.
Authorities also cited the rescue of a 15-day-old infant in a case that led to the busting of an interstate trafficking racket.
“More than 40 anti-begging drives had been organised over the past two years and regular joint operations with AMC and other departments were continuing in 2026. During this year alone, more than 60 children and 89 adults have been rescued through anti-begging operations and referred for rehabilitation,” he confirmed.
The latest week-long campaign began with joint planning meetings involving police officials and municipal authorities.
Teams from women and child welfare departments, nutrition units, medical services and law enforcement agencies were deployed together, while counselling and rehabilitation measures were incorporated into the operation. “This drive will continue for at least one week till next Monday,” Rajian said.
Officials have identified 124 hotspots across Ahmedabad where begging activity is concentrated. These include the Sabarmati riverfront, CG Road, SG Highway, South Bopal and other busy commercial corridors where crowds and traffic increase opportunities for collecting alms.
The children encountered during the drives range from four to 16 years of age. Police say begging is not the only activity in which they are engaged.
“Not only begging, but some of the kids are also forced to sell cheap quality toys for exorbitant prices, some are made to clean vehicles at red lights or perform dangerous activities like walking on a tightrope, or doing some kind of stunt,” Rajian told IANS.
Investigators said they had not found evidence of kidnapping or organised forced begging during the current operations. However, they observed a recurring pattern involving families arriving from neighbouring states after being informed that begging in Ahmedabad could be financially rewarding.
“It has been found that several families, through some agents from outside Gujarat, from neighbouring states, come to Ahmedabad because they think that begging here is a lucrative opportunity,” Rajian said.
According to the police, many children found begging are accompanied by their parents or relatives and are frequently shifted from one location to another on a seasonal basis.
While most of those rescued have not been linked to serious criminal records, authorities are verifying backgrounds with neighbouring states. The police have also raised concerns about broader forms of exploitation associated with street life.
“Some cases in the past indicated that children had been used by relatives to transport alcohol for sale,” Rajian added.
ACP (Mahila Cell) Himala Joshi said the current three-day intensive operation was designed to expand an existing programme that had already been underway for two months.
“The motive for the drive that has started, it was already going on over the past two months. This is a three-day drive in which we are looking at covering more areas of Ahmedabad in lesser time,” she emphasised.
The operation has focused on traffic junctions, flyovers, commercial centres, railway stations, bus terminals, temples and shopping districts across both eastern and western parts of the city.
Joshi said every rescued child was produced before the Child Welfare Committee and processed under provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act.
“Medical examinations are conducted to identify signs of abuse or violence, while officials verify whether accompanying adults are genuinely related to the children. We are especially looking for any children who have undergone any abuse or may have faced violence,” she told IANS.
She added that cases could be registered against parents if they knowingly involve children in begging activities. “We have also registered cases under the Juvenile Justice Act even if the children are found with parents,” Joshi said.
The police officer said authorities remained alert to possible links between begging networks and other criminal activities. “If we find that there are any rackets or there are any agents or any such illegal activities are being carried out, then the relevant criminal sections of the relevant act will be applied, and criminal action will be taken,” she said.
The latest drives have covered areas including Bodakdev, Sola, Satellite, Vastrapur, Shahibaug, Sindhu Bhavan Road, SG Highway, the Riverfront West stretch and commercial zones surrounding major shopping centres and traffic intersections.
Officials say the anti-begging campaign is also connected to Ahmedabad’s broader efforts to project itself as a “safe and inclusive city” as it prepares to host major international events.
The city and surrounding region are undergoing extensive infrastructure development, including sports venues, transport facilities and urban upgrades linked to those ambitions.
Asked why the anti-begging drive was being linked to future international sporting events, Joshi said the focus extended beyond city image and included the protection of vulnerable people. “When we are talking about safety, we cannot ignore the safety of children and women,” she said.
She said that giving money to beggars, though often well-intentioned, can inadvertently sustain the cycle of exploitation and weaken efforts aimed at education, rehabilitation and long-term livelihood opportunities.
At the same time, she said authorities were working to ensure that elderly, disabled and mentally challenged individuals received shelter, counselling and government support through beggar homes and night shelters.
“So, to protect the dignity and the rights of these people who indulge in begging activity, and also to counsel them towards encouraging them to go towards better options for income generation,” she said.
The anti-begging campaign reflects an effort to address social vulnerabilities that authorities say remain hidden behind busy traffic junctions, shopping districts and tourist sites.
Whether through school enrolment, rehabilitation programmes, shelter homes or criminal investigations, officials argue that the city’s preparations for hosting international events increasingly include a parallel focus on the welfare and protection of children found on its streets.
–IANS
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