A 13-year-old boy has been rescued from alleged forced labor at an estate in the Hassan area, officials said.
Officials from the Women and Child Development Department and activists from Mysuru-based Udanadi Seva Samithi carried out the rescue operation at Janikeri village in Sakalishapura taluk on Wednesday evening after a tip-off from residents.
Police have registered a case against Hemant Kumar Janikere, 48, in connection with the incident. The case was filed with Sakalishapura Rural Police Station on charges related to bonded labour, child labor and kidnapping.
Sakalishapura Rural Police Inspector H Vanaraju said the boy was taken from Hassan bus stand earlier this year. “During investigation, the boy told us that the accused picked him up from Hassan bus stop on January 6 and took him to his home in Janikeri. He was forced to work from morning to evening. Based on the complaint filed by Udhanadi, we have registered a case under the Bonded Labor (Abolition) Act, 1976, the Child and Adolescent Labor (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 and Section 137 (Kidnapping) of the Bonded Labor (Kidnapping) Act, 1976,” he said. Bharatiya Nyai Sanhita (BNS),” Vanaraju said.
Officials said the boy comes from a weak family background. According to Dilip, a child development project officer, the accused promised to provide education and a better life.
“The boy’s father is no longer around and his mother is suffering from illness. The accused allegedly promised education and a better life, but instead made him into bonded labor. The child has now been shifted to a government child welfare institution for protection and rehabilitation,” Dilip said.
Activists from Odanadi said the rescue operation came after 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 kept in a place worse than a cattle shed and forced to work all day,” said Stanley from Odanadi. “After verifying the information, we informed the authorities and launched the rescue operation.”
The accused appeared before a JMFC court on Thursday and was remanded in judicial custody for 14 days, police said.
The boy, a resident of Chaturanahalli village in Hassan district, was sent for a medical check-up and later transferred to the remand center for care and further support.
