Over 260 children rescued in 16 months by RPF under ‘Operation Nanhe Farishte'
Nagpur: More than 260 children have found their way back home over the past 16 months thanks to Operation Nanhe Farishte, an initiative run by
Railway Protection Force
(RPF) under the Central Railway's Nagpur division.
The initiative focuses on spotting and saving children who've run away, been trafficked, gone missing, or been abandoned at railway platforms and trains.
From January 2024 to April 2025, RPF teams rescued 239 children — 116 boys and 85 girls in 2024, and 15 boys and 23 girls so far in 2025. Most had run away from home. Others were found wandering alone or had been deliberately left behind. Each case was different, but the response was always swift.
Senior divisional security commandant Manoj Kumar said that trained RPF staff are now present at every post, trained to notice subtle signs — a child loitering alone, avoiding eye contact, or clutching a bag too tight. Once identified, the child is brought to a help desk where the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) is contacted.
"CWC members counsel the child and take custody if needed," says Kumar. "They also have the authority to conduct hearings if the child is unwilling or unsafe to return home."
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The Indian Railways, carrying over 25 million passengers a day, is one of the busiest transit systems in the world. It's also, unfortunately, a known corridor for trafficking and child labour movement. This led to a 2015 MoU between the Ministry of Women and Child Welfare and the Railways, laying out protocols for handling vulnerable children. NGOs like Childline were brought in, along with support from state govts.
In 2024, the system was further strengthened. A revised SOPs under Mission Vatsalya replaced NGO representatives with state-nominated child protection officers to improve accountability. Meanwhile, Bachpan Bachao Andolan, which signed an MoU in 2021, has continued to support the mission by providing critical alerts and child-tracking data.
Another big development has been the launch of the 'Track Your Child' portal — a central platform where police can upload information about rescued children, and parents of missing children can search the database.
"It's a digital lifeline for families," Kumar says. "One form filled by a parent can trigger a connection across hundreds of stations."
To back this on the ground, every RPF post now operates an Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU), staffed by officers trained not only in law enforcement but also in how to handle distressed children. Regular psychological training sessions and monthly coordination meetings with the Government Railway Police (GRP) keep the system alert and adaptive.
"It's not just about finding a child," Kumar adds. "It's about knowing what to look for, building trust, and handling that child with care. Sometimes it's the smallest detail — a hesitation, a story that doesn't add up — that makes all the difference."
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