Bonded labourers from Chhattisgarh rescued in Vijayapura

Vijayapura: The district administration rescued 10 bonded labourers from agricultural fields in Yakkundi village of Babaleshwar taluk on Dec 24. The rescue operation was carried out by a team led by Vijayapura assistant commissioner Gurunath Dadde, along with district labour officer Umashri Koli, Bagaleshwar tahsildar Anand Kolar, and labour inspector Mallikarjun.The team raided fields owned by Appalal Ramzansab Mulla following information about bonded labour. According to a complaint lodged by revenue inspector Vinay Vishnu Kulkarni at the Babaleshwar police station, all the labourers were from Chhattisgarh and had been brought to Vijayapura by labour contractor Ramalal Maso Barse from Dantewada district. The workers had allegedly not been paid wages for the past two months.The complaint stated that health check-ups were conducted for all the rescued labourers, including six women and two minors, after which they were shifted to the Vijayapura children's home. Babaleshwar police have registered a case under section 143(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 16, 17, 18, and 19 of the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976.V Sushila, chief executive officer of Spandana organisation, Belagavi, said the rescue followed information shared by the Chhattisgarh labour department. "We requested the Vijayapura assistant commissioner to take immediate action. The district administration has assured all possible assistance to the rescued labourers, including release certificates, rehabilitation aid, and support for restoring their livelihoods," she said.