Kasaragod: Eighteen workers, including two Malayalis, who were allegedly forced into bonded labour at a farm in Hassan district of Karnataka, were rescued in a joint raid by the Karnataka Police and Revenue Department. Among those rescued was Udayakumar (35), a native of Puthige panchayat in Kasaragod, who was later officially handed over to the Kasaragod district administration.

The workers were freed from a shed at a ginger farm in Chatnahalli village near Halebeedu in Hassan district.

The rescue operation was launched following a complaint by the mother of a Karnataka native who had managed to escape from the site. Acting on confidential information, officials, along with the Revenue Department, conducted an inspection and found the workers confined.

The raid, led by Hassan, Additional Superintendent of Police M Thammayya, revealed that the workers had been illegally detained and forced to work without wages. Police found that they were made to toil under threats and were not paid as per the agreed terms.

Workers recount ordeal
Udayakumar said they were given food only twice a day and did not even have access to clean drinking water. Some had not received wages for over a year, while others had worked for two to three years without pay. They were all confined together in a single shed on the farm. Despite health issues, they were denied medical care.

According to their statements, middlemen from Mangaluru had brought them to the farm, promising them good jobs. Once there, they were not allowed to leave and were forced to work under threats.

Police said the case involves serious human rights violations and a clear breach of the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976. Cases have been registered against the farm owner and the intermediaries, and the investigation is being expanded.

Officials suspect that more workers may have been subjected to similar exploitation.

Steps are underway to issue bonded labour-free certificates to the rescued workers. Authorities said rehabilitation and legal assistance would be ensured for them.

Udayakumar was brought to the Kasaragod Collectorate on Saturday afternoon in the presence of officials from the Karnataka Revenue, Labour, and Police departments and was formally handed over. The district administration has initiated steps to provide him with necessary support and protection.