In a joint operation by the police and members of organisations working for children’s rights late on Monday (May 11, 2026) night, over 40 minor girls, aged between 10 and 17 years, were rescued from as many as 15 orchestra groups under the Kuchaikot police station limits in Bihar’s Gopalganj district. Twenty-two people were arrested for their alleged involvement in child trafficking and exploitation of children.
Recently, in an undercover operation, a female journalist working for a Hindi national newspaper had unearthed the exploitation of girls working in orchestra groups in Bihar. The journalist is said to have lived with girls in an orchestra group operating in the Siwan-Gopalganj area of the State for five days to understand their ordeal and exploitation “first hand”.
Following the late-night operation in Gopalganj on May 11, the rescued girls were counselled and later shifted to safety. The operation was led by senior police officials Amit Kumar Jain, Additional Director General of Police (Weaker Sections), Gopalganj Superintendent of Police Vinay Tiwary, and officials of the local Kuchaikot police station.
Members of Association for Voluntary Action and Narayani Sewa Sansthan, organisations working for children’s rights and protection, were also part of the operation to rescue minor girls working in as many as 15 orchestra groups in the area.
