New Delhi, June 13: The country director of the UK-based NGO, Save the Children, was last night arrested for alleged negligence during a rally on the India Gate lawns where 39 children were injured after hydrogen balloons caught fire during a candlelight march.

Along with Brian Hayden, the NGO’s programme director and a US citizen, five others ? D. Lakshmi Rani and Jagriti Sharma of Ghaziabad, Manvendra, the NGO’s programme director for Bengal, Srinivas Vardhan and Utpal Mirdha from Delhi ? were taken into custody.

They were later released on bail, police said. They were involved in organising the march to mark World Day against Child Labour.

Over 200 children from Delhi, Bengal, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, who were rescued from bonded labour by the NGO, had been brought to India Gate for the rally. Most of them were holding lighted candles but some had hydrogen-filled balloons in their hands.

When the children were about to release the balloons, a few grazed against the candles and immediately burst, splattering burnt rubber on the children and some other people near the India Gate, the police said.

First aid was administered to a few on the spot while several others were taken to the nearby Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital from where they were discharged. The children were then sent to their destinations under police supervision.

Additional deputy commissioner of police, New Delhi district, Manish Aggarwal, ruled out any ban on hydrogen balloons, which are popular with visitors at the India Gate.