HASSAN: The Hassan district administration has rescued 52 labourers from a farm near Savantanahalli village on Monday where they were being made to work as bonded labourers. The cops, acting on a tip-off, rushed to the farm and rescued all labourers including 17 women and 4 children and moved them to a hostel in the same village.
The rescued labourers alleged that they were forced to live in inhuman conditions and were regularly beaten up. But, the incident had not come to light for the past few years. No one had come forward to inform the police about the matter till Monday, said officials.
On Wednesday, the District Principal and Session Court judge Thimmanachar chaired a meeting of senior officials including police, zilla panchayat, social welfare, labour and women and child welfare departments and asked them for the necessary steps taken for the rehabilitation of the rescued. According to officials, they had been given medical facilities, food and shelter. Additional Deputy Commissioner Vyshali said that they would be given identity cards. According to AN Prakash Gowda, the Superintendent of Police, two persons had been arrested. 16 of those rescued belonged to Scheduled Castes and action would be initiated against the accused under the appropriate act, said officials.
According to police officials, Munesh and Basavaraj, two of the accused, used to approach people who landed up at the railway station in Bengaluru and would offer them cash and jobs. Later they would be taken and put to work in the farms owned by one Krishna Gowda, a resident of Bengaluru where he reportedly runs a garment shop.
While most of them came from Chikmagala, Haveri, Raichur, Chitradurga, Davangere, Bidar, Belagavi, Vijayapura, Bellari, Shivamogga and Dharwad districts, six labourers were from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states.