Government Railway Police (GRP) have rescued 60 tribal children belonging to Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh who were allegedly being taken for religious conversion, police said on Tuesday. Eight persons have been arrested.

"Sixty children, of which 28 are boys and 38 girls, were being taken from Jhabua via Megh Nagar to Ratlam on a train. On Sunday, the GRP questioned the children at Ratlam railway station as they had doubts about their presence," Deputy Superintendent of GRP, Dhruvraj Singh Chauhan said.

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According to Chauhan, "The children were tricked in the name of a picnic and were being taken for a religious conversion to Nagpur, where some ceremony was being held by the Christian community. On Monday, nine persons were charged under IPC 363/34 and also under the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, 1968."

He said that eight persons were arrested on Tuesday and one is still absconding. The children were supposed to be taken from Ratlam to Nagpur, via Indore, by bus. 

Chauhan said two persons, Amiya Pal from Thandla and Akhilesh from Ratlam, had major roles to play in the entire scandal.