Beggars at traffic signals in Guwahati

Prof. (Dr.) Dharmakanta Kumbhakar

(drkdharmakanta1@gmail.com) 

Whenever we drive through the streets of Guwahati, one thing that frequently catches our attention is the presence of beggars at the traffic signals and by the roadside. The moment we stop at traffic signals, we see kids in very dirty outfits and sad faces, teenage mothers with small kids (maybe, own or rent) in their arms (most of the time the kids remain sleeping with their heads hanging down and are completely undisturbed by the stifling heat and the cacophony of the surrounding traffic—probably they feed their kids sedatives, so that the kids sleep quietly and the mothers beg showing their child as sick), handicapped children, 6–8-year-old girls holding 2-3-year-old kids in their arms, women looking sad and sick, men faking injury, etc. walking between cars asking for money. They ask for money by tucking at the elbows of motorcyclists or knocking at the windows of cars. Some of them carry clothes and try to wipe the windscreen of the vehicle to get the attention of their occupants. Some child baggers are so small that we cannot even see them if they are crossing the road by the front bumper of cars, and they are at risk of being knocked down by speeding vehicles. Most of them are from outside Assam. None of them speak Assamese, they speak only Hindi. Though most of them beg for money, a few offer pens, key rings, ear buds, etc. and ask for money in return.

Earlier, we saw beggars in Guwahati near Sukreswar temple, Shani Mandir at Fancy Bazar, the streets of Fancy Bazar, near malls, cinema halls, railway stations, bus stoppages, and market areas only. But the population of beggars at Rukminigaon traffic signal, Chandmari traffic signal, Post Office traffic signal, Ulubari traffic signal, Adabari traffic signal, Bhangagarh traffic signal, etc. has gone up significantly these days, like in other metropolises in India. While these traffic signals barely had any beggars a few years ago, now there are at least 5–6 beggars at each signal. On the same traffic signals, there are 2-3 traffic police constables who don’t even bother to force these beggars from the area. The number of beggars near Sukreshwar Temple and Shani Mandir at Fancy Bazar too has seen a spike.

It is seen that the beggars at the traffic signals in Guwahati never accept edibles or clothes. They prefer only cash. If they are really begging, they shouldn’t have any problem accepting food or clothes. Then, why are they present there? Probably they have made begging a profession and want only money, not food or clothes. They take the traffic signals as their work place. Like office workers, they go to the traffic signals with dirty outfits for begging in the morning and return home in the evening. In the evening, they get ready for their enjoyment.

While poverty forces some of them to resort to begging (many homeless people in Guwahati are forced to beg by no fault of theirs), a large section of young beggars are drug addicts, inhaling dendrites, ganja, alcohol, or other substances. It is seen that some of them carry transparent polythene packets and sniff them at regular intervals. For that, they need cash, not food. Of course, some are ahead with the begging profession as a part of their family traditions that are passed down generations.

Moreover, begging has become a huge racket these days. These beggars at the traffic signals may be commercial beggars. This trade of begging in Guwahati may be run by some groups, which may earn huge money every day. Children and women are often abducted, abused, inflicted with wounds, and maimed to force them into begging by these groups. They are forced to beg as members of such groups. As the beggars can only speak Hindi, the probability of trafficking children and women from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh into begging in Guwahati cannot be ruled out. The Indian Human Rights Commission reports that about 40,000 children are abducted in India every year. Several young girls and boys are trapped in the begging business after being abused by their relatives. They get lured by the promise of money, food, and clothing by the begging gangs. Once they are trapped, they have no option but to beg the group for their survival. The beggars (especially children and women) are given shelter and food by these groups. It is possible that the beggars are left at the traffic signals for begging in the morning and taken away in the evening by the agents. There are special houses for them that are provided secretly. They stay indoors at night and come on the roads during the day only. The beggars would then surrender the majority of their income to their exploiters.

Who is responsible for it? The public, who encourage begging every time they offer money to the outstretched arms, or the government, which doesn’t have a single policy for the betterment of such beggars. In one’s opinion, these are not beggars in the real sense of the term. Either he or she is begging for cash for substance abuse or it is their business. Most of the women who are begging at the traffic signals in Guwahati seem to be fit to do basic work and earn minimum basic wages. Even if they don’t possess any skills to work, there are still so many unskilled jobs available where they can earn their bread and butter. It is almost impossible to distinguish between the begging rackets and the real destitute. We shouldn’t show sympathy to these beggars and should not give them a single penny if they are young and physically able to earn money on their own. If we pay them, they will get motivated, and more lazy people will get inspired to join them.

While the Assam Prevention of Begging Act, 1964, is a 59-year-old law, it is unfortunate that the state government is unable to stop begging and rehabilitate the beggars of Guwahati. The State Social Welfare Department launched a mission and tied up with seven NGOs in the city a few years ago to make Guwahati free of beggars. But many are still found begging in the city. Instead, the numbers seem to have grown in the last few years. A simple ban by the government on begging and providing policy for the betterment of such baggers can stop begging in Guwahati and usher in a great change in their lives. The government should totally ban begging, implement anti-begging laws, and formulate proper plans for their proper rehabilitation. The government should set up beggars’ homes in Guwahati and provide a better life to these beggars who are forced to beg because of financial hardships. The government should link the beggar rehabilitation schemes with the social welfare schemes and help the poor beggars lead better lives, as directed by the Supreme Court on July 27, 2021.

Moreover, oromoting child begging and running a begging racket should become criminal offences and punishable under law. Then the people behind the begging racket would have no other option but to stop the begging business. The person promoting these activities should be punished under law to eradicate begging from the city.