ERODE: Two dozen bonded labourers from Madhya Pradesh, who were employed in a sugarcane field at Olapalayam village in Erode, have been rescued. Among those rescued were five boys and four girls. Police arrested a middleman from Maharashtra in connection with the case on Sunday.
The accused, S Yuvraj Shindo (50), had brought the workers to Erode recently for harvesting work after recruiting some of them last November, the police said. The labourers had earlier been made to work in Maharashtra for about four months, where they were each paid around Rs 30,000, they added.
After bringing the labourers to Erode on February 22, Yuvraj allegedly made them stay in farmlands in Olapalayam and forced them to work in sugarcane fields without paying wages. Officials said the labourers were not allowed to leave the farmland and were effectively treated as bonded labourers.
The incident came to light after the National Commission for Tribal Welfare received information about their plight and alerted the district administration. Following this, a team of revenue officials and the Modakurichi police conducted an inspection at the farmland on Saturday. The labourers were subsequently rescued and shifted to a private hall in Modakurichi.
Based on the RDO’s complaint, Modakurichi police arrested Yuvraj and registered a case under Section 16 of the Bonded Labour Act, Section 79 of the Juvenile Justice Act, Section 14 of the Child Labour Act, and Section 3(1)(h) of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Erode SP A Sujatha told TNIE that the rescued workers will be sent back to their home state after completing the required procedures.