28 bonded labourers rescued in Chengalpet

Chennai: Two families who fled from a woodcutting unit near Kovalam in Chengalpet helped rescue their colleagues from bonded labour. A case of sexual harassment of a minor girl has also been filed against the woodcutting unit owner and accused, Jayapal, who was arrested soon after.

The two families lodged a complaint with Chengalpattu Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) Muthu Vadivelu, where they shared their ordeal at the worksite and the abuse inflicted by Jayapal.

Based on this, the Chengalpet RDO visited the worksite and conducted an initial inquiry.

Confirming the presence of bonded labour, the two other families were also rescued.

The RDO along with members of the International Justice Mission (IJM), an NGO working with human rights, was able to rescue a total of 28 bonded labourers, of whom 11 were children under the age of 14 on Thursday.

Speaking to this newspaper, Mr Muthu Vadivelu said the state of the bonded labourers was unspeakable. "For a mere '1,000 a week, they were made to work in pathetic conditions. The labourers were working for three years to repay a cash advance of '3,000. The accused used to even attack and harass the workers if they did not cut enough wood for the week," he said.

"Jayapal also sexually harassed a 13-year-old girl. The case has been registered with the Kelambakkam police who arrested Jayapal," said Mr Muthu Vadivelu, who added that the accused could be a repeat offender, but only police investigations could establish that.