The information given by 14-year-old girl, Varikuppala Anjali, who fled from home to avoid child marriage, helped the police and the Child Welfare Committee rescue 40 child labourers working at two different cotton mills in Mahabubnagar district.
Ms. Anjali, native of Seshaiklunta village of Dindi mandal in Nalgonda district, migrated to Amangal three years ago along with her mother, Ramachandramma, who engaged Anjali in Suryalakshmi Cotton mill, Amangal, as contract labourer for a period of three years in 2012.
As Ms. Ramachandramma had been searching for a suitable groom for Anjali, she fled from her home and reached Dindi mandal in the district.
She also lodged a complaint with the police with the help of her grandfather charging that Suryalatha Cotton Mill employs over 100 children aged below 16 years. Following the information, Mahabubnagar police raided the mill and rescued 17 children who hail from Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar and parts of Andhra Pradesh. Police also raided Suryalatha Cotton Mill located at Kalwakurthy on the same day, following information given by some children working at Amangal Cotton Mill.
Speaking to The Hindu , head of Operation Smile Team, Mahabubnagar, Pochaiah, said that they have rehabilitated the children at Balasadan, Mahabubnagar.
Anjali, however, alleged that the Suryalatha Cotton Mill engages over 200 child labourer, who were brought to Amnagal from various part of the country with the help of some agents.
“They were all given yearly contract paying Rs 6,000 per month, she said. However, Amangal, Sub-Inspector of Police D. Rambabu said that they have verified the documents of all the workers working at Suryalakshmi Cotton Mill, but only 17 of them were aged below 16. Meanwhile, the police are on the look out for the accused who mobilised child labour.
