After a case of bonded labour came to light in the district on Friday, Deputy Commissioner V Anbukumar on Saturday instructed all Gram Panchayats to check for bonded labour within their limits and also ordered tahsildars to monitor the issue.
Six months ago, nine-year-old Akash Aidamale of Borgoan village in Athani taluk was sold by his father Balu Kallappa Aidamale to a person in Davangere for `20,000 for five years with an advance of just `1,000.
The person who bought Akash allegedly tortured him physically and tied his legs with a rope after he completed work. the police said. On January 31, he brought Akash back and left him with his mother Latha.
After finding burn marks and other injuries on Akash’s body, Latha contacted a local women’s organisation which took the matter to the taluk administration. Akash is undergoing treatment at the district hospital.
R H Hallur, Sadalaga police station sub-inspector told Express that based on Latha’s complaint, the police have arrested Akash’s father Balu Aidamale and one of his friends who took the victim to Davangere.
Both Aidamale and his friend told Latha that they were taking Akash to a popular educational institute at Davangere, Hallur said.
Recently, the government had claimed that there were no bonded labourers in the state. DC Anbukumar instructed all tahsildars to check for bonded labour in their jurisdiction and specially ordered Athani in-charge tahsildar Anand to get relevant records at all GP levels in his taluk.