50 children rescued from 'zari' factories, one child labourer sold

New Delhi, Dec 28 (UNI) Even as police rescued 50 children, below 14 years of age, from 'zari' units in a joint operation by an NGO from Bhajanpura area of East Delhi, one of the child labourers was sold to another factory owner amidst the chaos.

The 'Bachpan Bachao Andolan' (BBA), the NGO involved in the operation, said one of the children, Sanoj Majhi, working in one of the 'zari' units had been sold by the employer. His father Gorakh Majhi, who had come to take him back hearing the news of the rescue operation, had to return empty-handed.

The police, however. did not register an FIR.

BBA chairman Kailash Satyarthi told UNI that they had made a complaint yesterday itself with the police in this regard after the child's father complained that his child was not to be found.

''We had given the written complaint yesterday and till now no FIR has been made.'' The Investigating Officer said that investigations were on to confirm the complaint, he said.

''Sale of children was rampant among such units. When parents start nagging the factory owners, the child workers are sent to other factories after exchanging money,'' he added.

The police, on the other hand, denied that any complaint had been made in this regard.

''No complaint has been made in this regard,'' said area Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Atul Katiyar.

The children, mostly hailing from Bihar, were rescued with the help of the NGO yesterday on the complaint of some parents, he said.

Aged between 8-14 years, the children had been working for the past two years without any wages in three 'zari' (embroidery) units in Bhajanpura's Subhash Vihar area.

Presently kept at a rehabilitation centre from where they would be repatriatred to their homes, most of those rescued were from East Champaran and Sitamarhi districts of Bihar and Nepal.

UNI AN VD KN1542