The police in Maharashtra’s Ahilyanagar district have rescued 14 persons, including six children aged between 7 and 8, from bonded labour, an official said on Wednesday.
The illegality came to light after two children escaped from the homes of the two accused persons in Beed district, where they and their parents were allegedly forced to perform arduous tasks, he said.
The victims belong to Pune and Raigad districts, said the official from MIDC, Ahilyanagar police station. Accused Viju Seth and Uttam Sheth from Ambora in Beed had employed them for the past one and a half years, the official said.
An 8-year-old child labourer, who escaped with another kid, told the police that they were made to collect cow dung, clean cattle sheds, fetch wood, and graze cattle in the jungle. According to activists, though the victims were rescued on July 12, the police did not book the accused, citing jurisdiction.
Following protests, they registered a case on Tuesday night, while revenue officials issued “release” certificates to enable the victims to avail benefits of government schemes, said Vivek Pandit of Rajyastriya Adivasi Vikas Adhava Samiti.
