UP minor He was forced to work for 15 hours

Indore: Article 24 of India’s constitution prohibits child labour, and employing a minor child is a crime. Despite knowing it, people employ children in various household works and also mistreat them. One such case surfaced in the city on Saturday when in a joint effort Childline and city police rescued a 15- year- old, who was tied up and beaten up constantly by his employer.

The boy was sent to the city by his father to find an employment and help the family financially. When the plight of boy became unbearable, his father tried to get him back from his employer, but was chased away by the employer. The incident took place with Ramnutan, a resident of Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, who had sent his son, Shiv ( 15) to Indore to find employment to help his family. The boy found an employment with RC Shukla, owner of Nirmal Construction Company about six months back. Initially, the boy was treated nicely but later he was made to work for 15 to 18 hours a day. Due to maltreatment, Shiv even expressed his desire to return home, but his employer did not let him go and treated him like animal. Shiv complained to his father, who came to the city to take him back. However, the employer threatened Ramnutan and chased him away.

The despaired father did not know what to do in a strange city and was wandering aimlessly when he met a man, who took him to Childline Centre. After hearing the matter, the centre contacted Rajendra Nagar police, who swung into action and rescued the boy from the clutches of his employer. The boy has been placed under care of Child Line and his father is likely to leave for Bareilly, on Sunday.

Threat of implicating in theft

According to Wasim Iqbal, Director, Childline Centre, the boy was rescued by a police team, led by CSP RS Ghurayya. Shiv told the centre officials that he had come to the city about six months ago and he had managed to find employment in the Shukla household. Shiv said he was forced to work for hours and when he protested, they tied him up and thrashed him. They also threatened him to implicate in a theft case if he ever tried to escape from the house.

Case registered

According to police, a case has been registered against Ramesh Shukla, a resident of Vidur Nagar under Sections 23/ 26 of Juvenile Justice Act. However, no arrest has been made so far.