Rescued bonded labourer gets release certificate

Mandya: A day after a Tamil Nadu-based Dalit woman was kidnapped from Bekkalale village in Maddur taluk by a local politician and later rescued by the Police, the District Administration yesterday launched an exercise to provide rehabilitation and distribute benefits of various social security schemes to her family.

As part of the exercise, Mandya Assistant Commissioner M.R. Rajesh issued Bonded Labour Release Certificate to the victim, who was allegedly kidnapped by former President of Maddur APMC Kudaragundi Nagesh to keep her in confinement as a bonded labourer.

Rajesh said that the officials have been instructed to provide benefits of all eligible schemes for the welfare of the victim and her two children.

Pointing out that the District Administration will release Rs.20,000 as immediate compensation to the woman, besides providing her shelter under a Housing Scheme, he said that free education would be provided to her children at a Government Residential School apart from considering providing employment as a Cook or an Assistant at any Anganavadi Centre or under Child Development Project.

Even as the District Administration set out measures to provide rehabilitation and benefits of various social security schemes to the family of the victim, the Dalit Sangharsha Samiti (DSS), Bahujan Vidyarthi Sangha (BVS) and various other Dalit outfits took out protest rallies at Mandya and Maddur on Friday in condemnation of the incident.

Meanwhile, the Koppa Police, who had registered a case in this regard, arrested one more person on Friday in connection with the incident.

The arrested, who has been identified as Pandu, is accused of driving the car in which K. Nagesh abducted the victim and playing a role in the kidnap of the Dalit widow. The Police had arrested Nagesh on Thursday.

This post was published on September 22, 2018 6:14 pm