57 minors rescued from meat factory in Ghaziabad

“A joint team of NCPCR, Mukti Foundation, labour department, SDM, senior police officials, Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU), and Childline team raided a meat factory International Agro Foods, which is in Masoori police station area, and 57 minors were rescued, who were working in inhumane condition,” said an official.

Among the rescued children, 31 are girls and 26 boys, who are residents of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal. “The rescued children have been sent for medical examination as per rules. The rescued minors will be produced before the Child Welfare Committee,” added the official.

However, there has been no FIR against the establishment so far. Police officials said they would register the FIR if they received any complaint. The labour department, a part of the raid team, said it would move an application before the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) to prosecute the meat factory.

“After ensuring the rehabilitation of rescued children, we will move an application before the CJM court to prosecute the establishment under Section 3 in the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act. The court will decide the fine or jail terms on the merit. Usually, in case of child labour the fine ranges from Rs. 10,000 to 50,000 per child,” said Dr Rupali, Labour Enforcement Officer, Ghaziabad.

“The action is still going on. The children were being assigned the work of slaughtering animals. The number may change once other processes are completed, including verification of the age of the children. Action has been taken on the complaint of Mission Mukti,” said Priyank Kanoongo, Chairperson, NCPCR, in a post on X.