The Yadgir district administration has taken necessary steps and sent all 38 bonded labourers, who were rescued from illegal detention by an owner of a brick kiln near Ramsamudra village in Yadgir on Monday, back to their native villages in Odisha’s Balangir, Naupad and Koraput districts on Tuesday night.

Raghuveersingh Thakur, Project Director, District Labour Department, Deputy Commissioner’s Office, Shivashankar Talwar, Labour Inspector, and two police personnel (a man and a woman) accompanied the rescued labourers to ensure their safe repatriation.

The 38 bonded labour were brought here by a middleman a few months ago. He had assured them of providing jobs with handsome wages.

While giving them jobs, the brick kiln owner, Vijay Kumar, against whom an FIR has been registered in Yadgir Rural Police Station on the charge of illegal detention and violating laws, paid ₹ 20,000 to each labour in advance, with an assurance of paying them ₹ 300 per week for the older labour and ₹ 200 per week for children.

But, the owner did not pay the assured wages, though they all worked from 3 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the kiln every day. The fact came to light after Revenue officials headed by Tahsildar of Yadgir and the police conducted a raid on the brick kiln and rescued the labour.

For violating laws, which protect labours, a case under Sections 370, 344 and 374 of the Indian Penal Code, Sections 16, 17 and 18 of the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, Section 14 (A) of Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, Sections 75 and 76 of Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act was registered against Vijay Kumar.

The labour were taken back to their native villages with release orders, Mr. Thakur, who was travelling to Odisha with the rescued people, told The Hindu over phone. “We will hand over them to the department officials concerned in Odisha and complete the necessary formalities before leaving for Yadgir,” he added.