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13-year-old boy rescued from ‘bonded labour’ in Hassan, 1 arrested
A 13-year-old boy was rescued from bonded labor in Hassan, India; a man was arrested for kidnapping and exploiting him under false promises.
A 13-year-old boy was rescued from alleged bonded labour at an estate in Hassan district, officials said.
Officials from the Women and Child Development Department and activists from the Mysuru-based Odanadi Seva Samsthe carried out the rescue operation in Janekere village of Sakaleshapura taluk on Wednesday night following a tip-off from residents.
Police have registered a case against Hemant Kumar Janekere, 48, in connection with the incident. The case has been filed at the Sakaleshapura Rural Police Station under charges related to bonded labour, child labour and kidnapping.
Sakaleshapura Rural Police Inspector H Vanaraju said the boy was allegedly brought from the Hassan bus stand earlier this year. “During inquiry, the boy told us that the accused picked him up from the Hassan bus stand on January 6 and took him to his estate in Janekere. He was made to work from morning till evening. Based on the complaint filed by Odanadi, we have registered a case under The Bonded Labor System (Abolition) Act, 1976, The Child and Adolescent Labor (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 and Section 137 (kidnapping) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS),” Vanaraju said.
Officials said the boy comes from a vulnerable family background. According to Child Development Project Officer Dilip, the accused had allegedly promised to provide education and a better life.
“The boy’s father is no more and his mother is suffering from illness. The accused allegedly promised to provide education and a better life, but instead made him work as bonded labour. The child has now been shifted to a government childcare institution for protection and rehabilitation,” Dilip said.
Activists from Odanadi said the rescue followed information from local residents about the child’s living conditions.
“We received a phone call from a local resident who informed us that the child was being kept in a place worse than a cattle shed and forced to work throughout the day. After verifying the information, we alerted the authorities and conducted the rescue operation,” Stanley from Odanadi said.
Police said that the accused was produced before a JMFC court on Thursday and remanded to judicial custody for 14 days.
The boy, a resident of Chaturanahalli village in Hassan district, has been sent for medical examination and later shifted to a remand home for care and further support.
