Minister spearheads raid to rescue 27 child labourers

Bangalore, May 24 (UNI) The Karnataka Labour department rescued 27 children, all hailing from Bihar, from an illegally-operated embroidery unit in the city during a raid this morning.

State Labour Minister Iqbal Ansari, who spearheaded the raid, told newspersons here the children, aged less than 14 years, had been forcibly asked to work for 14 to 18 hours per day by the unit owners, Arman and Ujala, also from Bihar.

He said that though the owners had fled before the raid was carried out, supervisor Feroz (19) was detained.

Mr Ansari said the children, all hailing from Seethamari district of Bihar, were brought to the city ten months back by Arman and Ujala. They were kept locked in a dingy room, measuring 10 ft by 12 ft, and were not provided adequate food and facilities.

He said the illegal operation was on since 1995 using many children. They had a similar unit in Vijayawada.

Mr Ansari said the owners had refused permission to the children's parents who came from Bihar to see their wards, lying that they were working in the Vijayawada unit.

Mr Ansari said a well planned trap was laid by the police and labour department after he came to know about the operation from three boys who escaped from the unit. Though Dharmendra, one of those who escaped, claimed he received Rs 3,000 per month, inquiries with the children revealed that the owners hardly paid any salary to the children and sent paltry sums of Rs 200 or Rs 400 to the parents once in three or six months.

He said the children were treated badly and some of them had wounds. The children would be provided medical aid in a premises run by voluntary agencies and sent back to their native places after despatching necessary intimation to the district authorities concerned in Bihar.

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