32 rescued from bonded labour in sugarcane fields in Chamarajanagar - The HinduPublished - September 04, 2026 08:37 pm IST - MYSURUThe bonded labourers rescued from a sugarcane field in Ganganadoddi village of Chamarajanagar district housed in a government hostel in Hanur town. | Photo Credit: Special ArrangementThirty-two persons, including seven women, were rescued from alleged bonded labour at a sugarcane field in Ganganadoddi village in Chamarajanagar district near here.The rescue operation, carried out by Chamarajanagar district administration officials, including personnel from the police and Labour departments, on Tuesday, followed a tip-off from the Village Administrative Officer of Suleripalya Circle in Hanur taluk.The rescued labourers are believed to have been employed on different sugarcane farms in Chamarajanagar and Tamil Nadu for periods ranging from three months to a couple of years.They were harvesting sugarcane on land belonging to one Purushotham in Ganganadoddi village when the rescue operation was conducted.According to an FIR registered at the Ramapura police station on Thursday, one Shanmugam has been identified as the main accused. He had allegedly brought the migrant labourers — 30 from different parts of Tamil Nadu and one each from Andhra Pradesh and Bihar — and engaged them in sugarcane harvesting. Some of the rescued labourers were reportedly seeking alms before they were brought into the alleged bonded labour arrangement.Following a medical examination, 12 of the rescued labourers were administered pain-relieving injections, while three others were treated for injuries. One labourer, who had suffered a dislocation of the left elbow, was referred to the hospital in Kollegal for further treatment.Shanmugam had allegedly brought the labourers from different villages in Tamil Nadu on the pretext of providing them with various kinds of work and subsequently employed them for low wages. Some were allegedly made to work without being paid any wages.Shanmugam had also reportedly appointed four persons — Ruby, Ranjitha, Sarvanam and Karthik — as his associates to supervise the labourers. The associates allegedly assigned work to all 32 persons and kept them from speaking to people in the surrounding areas.They were also accused of repeatedly assaulting the labourers and abusing them in obscene and abusive language.The rescued labourers are presently housed at the Government Students’ Hostel in Hanur.Three of the four accused persons have also been taken into custody by the police, which has registered an FIR under various provisions of the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) relating to wrongful confinement and assault, and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.Meanwhile, Assistant Commissioner of the Kollegal Sub-Division in Chamarajanagar, Dinesh Kumar Meena, is learnt to have issued Release Certificates to all the rescued labourers on Friday and initiated measures for their safe repatriation.Published - September 04, 2026 08:37 pm ISTSign in to unlock member-only benefits!Access 10 free stories every monthSave stories to read laterAccess to comment on every storySign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single clickGet notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products${ ind + 1 } ${ device }Last active - ${ la }