Chhattisgarh: 13 tribal kids forced to work in cattle-rearing units rescued, 10 held

Thirteen children from the Baiga tribal community were rescued from alleged bonded labour in cattle-rearing units in Chhattisgarh’s Kabirdham district

Thirteen children from the Baiga tribal community were rescued from alleged bonded labour in cattle-rearing units in Chhattisgarh’s Kabirdham district and 10 people were arrested, police said on Thursday.

The children were forced to work for more than 10 hours a day in cattle-rearing units located near the Kanha National Park region. (Getty image/ Representative photo)

The rescue operation was carried out jointly by Kabirdham police, Childline, the Women and Child Development Department, and Association for Voluntary Action (AVA), an organisation working on child rights.

Police said the children, aged between 8 and 15 years, were trafficked from remote forest villages nearly seven to eight months ago after their families were allegedly lured with promises of money and better living conditions.

According to investigators, the children were forced to work for more than 10 hours a day in cattle-rearing units located near the Kanha National Park region and were paid between ₹1,000 and ₹2,000 per month.

The AVA shared specific inputs after tracking the movement of the suspects for nearly two weeks, Kabirdham Superintendent of Police (SP) Dharmendra Singh said in a statement. “As soon as we received information, teams were mobilised. The children were found living in highly exploitative conditions and forced into labour. An FIR has been registered and efforts are underway to identify and arrest others linked to the network,” Singh’s statement said.

Officers said the rescue team initially located four children at one cattle-rearing facility. Based on information provided by the rescued minors, teams raided additional locations and rescued more children from four separate sites in the district.

Police have invoked provisions related to human trafficking, bonded labour, child labour, and the Juvenile Justice Act against the accused.

Senior director of AVA Manish Sharma said children from vulnerable tribal communities were increasingly being targeted by trafficking networks.

“These networks exploit extreme poverty and isolation in tribal areas. Children as young as eight years were found working in hazardous conditions. The prompt response by the district police played a crucial role in rescuing the children,” Sharma said.

All rescued children were shifted to child care institutions and are being produced before the Child Welfare Committee for rehabilitation and further legal procedures, officials said.