Indore cracks down on begging: FIRs filed against donor, habitual offenders

Indore(Team Newsbuddy): In a first for the city, legal action has been taken against both those giving money to beggars and repeat offenders caught begging. A youth was booked after giving ₹10 to an elderly woman begging near a temple. The Women and Child Development Department’s anti-begging team recorded the incident, traced the youth using his vehicle number, and filed an FIR against him.
In another case, a woman caught begging at a busy intersection was found to be a repeat offender, violating prior warnings. Her son, who had earlier pledged through an affidavit that his mother would stop begging, was also booked under the Indian Civil Security Act, 2023, Section 223.
This comes after the District Collector Ashish Singh’s January 2 directive banning both begging and giving alms, with violators facing criminal charges.
District Program Officer RN Budholia stated that violating these orders under Section 223 can lead to imprisonment of up to six months, a fine, or both. The crackdown on begging started in February after a woman was found forcing her children to beg. Indore will penalize anyone giving alms to beggars starting January 1, 2025, expanding a previous ban on giving to child beggars.