800 child labourers rescued in statewide police crackdown

The operation covered a wide range of establishments and workplaces suspected of employing children.

Bengaluru: Police across Karnataka have rescued nearly 800 children employed as labourers during a statewide operation covering 598 police station limits on Saturday, September 12, with Bengaluru accounting for the highest number of rescues.

Acting on specific information about children being employed in violation of child labour laws, police teams conducted inspections at 16,951 locations across the state. A total of 800 children were rescued, including 503 from Bengaluru alone.

The operation covered a wide range of establishments and workplaces suspected of employing children. Vijayapura recorded the second-highest number of rescues, with 72 children found working at various locations, followed by Tumakuru with 33, Koppal with 27 and Kalaburagi with 22.

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Other districts where children were rescued included Chikkaballapur with 16, Ballari with 15, Belagavi with 14, Mysuru and Chitradurga with 13 each, and Hubballi-Dharwad with 10. Bengaluru Rural reported nine rescues, while Bagalkot, Chamarajanagar and Bidar recorded eight each.

Dakshina Kannada reported five children being rescued, while Vijayanagara accounted for four. Kolar and Yadgir recorded three each. Kodagu, Haveri and Udupi reported two rescues each.

The inspection drive also covered several districts where no child labourers were found during the operation. These included Hassan, Mandya, Davanagere, Shivamogga, Uttara Kannada, Chikkamagaluru, Gadag and Raichur.

Officials said the rescue operation was not limited to a particular category of workplace and was carried out after receiving information regarding the employment of children. The large number of inspections highlights the scale of the enforcement drive undertaken by the police and other departments.

Meanwhile, a situation arose in Bengaluru where parents of some rescued children gathered outside the Bal Mandir near Dairy Circle and insisted that the children be handed back to them. However, officials said the rescued children cannot be immediately returned to their parents.

Under the procedure followed in child labour cases, rescued children have to be produced before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC). The committee will verify the identity and circumstances of the parents before deciding on their rehabilitation or return.

Parents will also be counselled that sending children to work is an offence and informed about children’s rights and the importance of education and protection.

If authorities find evidence that children were trafficked, sold or deliberately placed in employment through a trafficking network, the CWC can recommend criminal action against those responsible.

As there is a two-day holiday, the rescued children are expected to be produced before the CWC on Tuesday. The committee will then assess each case and take appropriate steps in accordance with child protection laws.