6 more children rescued, Bangle factory owners arrested

Bhubaneswar, Sep 30 (UNI) Close on the heels of the rescue of ten child labourers from a bangle factory in Mumbai, six more were rescued by the police at Palasa station in Andhra Pradesh yesterday.

Last week ten child labourers from Tanhar village in Ganjam district, subjected to inhuman torture in the bangle factory at Mumbai, were rescued by their parents with the help of a social worker.

The incident had sent shock waves in Orissa prompting Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to apprise his Maharastra counterpart Vilasrao Deshmukh over phone demanding strong action against the culprits, official sources said.

A case was lodged in Hinjuli police station in Ganjam district against the owners of two bangle factories in Mumbai and a police team from Orissa went to Mumbai to arrest the bangle owners.

Police said while three of the owners were arrested one managed to escape but later he was arrested by the police at Palasa station while returning to his village along with six other child labourers from Goutami village in Ganjam district.

Nine of the ten child labourers who were rescued earlier, were referred to the MKCG Medical Colleges in Berhampur for treatment as they sustained burn injuries and deep cut on their bodies due to the alleged barbaric torture by the bangle owners.

The child labourers have alleged that they were beaten up severely and branded with hot iron when the owner came to know that they had informed to their parents about the torture and poor working conditions in the factory.

Incidentally, the owners of the bangle factory were from the Chief Minister's Assembly constituency, Hinjuli, in Ganjam district.

UNI DP PP RD1206