Mysuru: Nepalese woman, her 2 children kept as bonded labour, rescued

Mysuru: A case of bonded labour has come to light in the district with a Nepalese woman and her two children, rescued by government officials.

The officials, on Friday, said that the victims were rescued from a farm in the Kailasapura village in Mysuru district.

According to the authorities, Nirmala, hailing from Nepal, had come to work with her husband Gopal and their two children at a farm owned by Ere Gowda. They had been working at the farm for the last one and a half years.

Gowda had set a daily wage of Rs 300 for Gopal and Rs 200 for Nirmala. They were compelled to work from 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. When questioned about this, Ere Gowda separated the couple. Gopal was kept in Kodagu and was not allowed to communicate with his family. Nirmala, likewise, was not permitted to speak with him over the phone.

Nirmala, the victim, informed officers that she had been assaulted and denied food multiple times. She also accused Gowda of making her children work. The accused landlord prevented them from returning to their native place.

A team from the district authorities, led by Tehsildar Srinivas, CDPO Asha, and officers from the Social Welfare Department and Tribal Development Department, conducted a raid on the farm and rescued the woman and her two children.

Nirmala and her children were handed over to the custody of the Child Development Project Officer (CDPO). Legal action was being initiated against the accused landlord by the authorities.

The inhuman practice of bonded labour is prohibited in India by law vide Articles 21 and 23 of the Constitution. Further, the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act 1976 was specifically enacted to abolish this social evil.

(With IANS inputs)