60 minors found on Antyodaya express at Ahmedabad Railway Station

Acting on information that children were allegedly being transported for labour purposes, officials conducted a verification drive aboard the Antyodaya Express at Ahmedabad railway station on Friday and found 60 minors travelling on the train.

According to officials, the operation was carried out after authorities received inputs regarding the possible movement of children for labour-related activities on Train No. 15559 Antyodaya Express.

Teams of the Railway Protection Force (RPF), Government Railway Police (GRP), and members of an NGO remained present at Ahmedabad railway station when the train arrived and carried out checks on passengers.

During the operation, 60 children below the age of 18 were identified and questioned by officials. Preliminary inquiry revealed that all the minors were travelling with their parents or guardians.

Officials said no criminal angle or evidence of child trafficking or forced labour had emerged during the initial verification process.

However, as a precautionary measure and to verify the identity and guardianship details of the children, all the minors were handed over to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) for further assessment and documentation.

Authorities also stated that information regarding the children has been shared with labour officers of the concerned districts to verify whether any of them may have been linked to unlawful labour activities at their destinations.

Police said no offence has been registered so far and further verification is underway.