9 minors rescued from auto repair shops in East Delhi

Nine minor children were rescued from four shops dealing in repair and spare parts of auto-rickshaws at Kotla village in East Delhi on Tuesday.

All the children were employed as helpers by four shopkeepers, officials said. The children were rescued by a team of the Delhi Government and Delhi Police officials.

“A rescue operation was organised by a team led by Mayur Vihar SDM in coordination with the Delhi Police and officers of the Labour and Health Department besides members of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC).

In all, nine children in the age group of 10 to 17 years were rescued. The children worked for more than 10 hours a day,” an official said.

Officials said, CWC members interacted with the rescued children and issued orders to register an FIR under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and child labour-related laws.

The four auto parts shops were sealed after the raid, said the officials.

While owners of two shops have been apprehended by police and booked for violation of laws under the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, the Bonded Labour System Abolition Act, 1976, the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000, and other relevant provisions of the IPC , the other two managed to escape .