Three children, reportedly employed by a contractor at the Cyberpark project site here, were rescued by the police and Childline activists on Tuesday.
The children were rescued following a tip-off from some trade union leaders.
The Cyberpark was recently in the news for an indefinite agitation by some head-load workers over a labour issue.
Sources said Childline activists, on receiving information about the use of child labour, handed over the case to the police juvenile wing and they, with the support of the Medical College police, rescued the children.
K. Raveendran, sub-inspector at the Medical College police station, said the contractor was charged under Section 26 (exploitation of juvenile or child employee) of the Juvenile Justice Act. “The search was conducted at the site as per the information given by the police juvenile wing,” he said.
Childline activists said five children were seen at the project site during the inspection, but two of them immediately fled. The three rescued children were underage, and belonged to West Bengal and Odisha.
Childline district coordinator P.P. Sulaiman said the children were produced before the Child Welfare Committee on Tuesday, and shifted to the Government Children’s Home.
Further inquiry into the incident would be conducted by the police after verifying the age proof of the children, he said.
P.M. Karthikeyan, a trade union leader, said there were at least eight children when their union members noticed the use of child labour and informed their leaders. “The motive behind the recruitment was cheap labour. We took up the issue as the contractor was trying to encourage it in the absence of any outside intervention,” he said.
