A group of 14 bonded labourers, who had been forced to work at a sugarcane farm, were rescued during an operation carried out jointly by the revenue department authorities and Adivasi Solidarity Council, an NGO of Vellore district.
According to sources, a team comprising activists of Adivasi Solidarity council, found some bonded labourers who were confined at a sugarcane field at Mela Panaiyur near Thirumayam in the district during a field survey. Subsequently, they lodged a complaint with Rajaraman, RDO of Pudukkottai. Based on the complaint, a team of revenue and police officials attached with Thirumayam and Panayapatti visited the suagarcane field, where the bonded labours were confined and were allegedly forced to work for food.
The team found out that they were indeed working as bonded labourers and they were monitored by Nagarajan of Villupuram. Nagarajan allegedly escaped from the scene just before the officials landed at the field.
Soon, all the labourers were rescued and brought to Thirumayam taluk office, where complaints were received and registered from all the bonded labourers individually. The labourers were identified as Kasinathan (60) and Sait (55) both sibilings, Lakshmi (43) wife of Ramesh, Sakthi (3) son of Ramesh, Dhevaki (18) wife of Durai, Vignesh (4) son of Durai, Kowsalya (1) daughter of Durai, Subramani (35), Shiyamala (30), Sowndharya (2), Subramani (33) and Ramamoorthi (41).
It was learnt that all were from the Irular community and residents of various villages of Villupuram district. Of them, Dhevaki was allegedly sexually abused by Nagaraj.