Midnapore, Oct. 1 -- A child labour racket operating under the cover of West Bengal's bustling Shankarpur fishing port has been exposed, with 14 minors and a 21-year-old worker rescued who were allegedly being forced to work for up to 16 hours a day for nominal wages.
The minors, aged between 15 and 18, were allegedly employed at a fishing-net weaving unit in the port area and made to work from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m., and sometimes until 2 a.m. during periods of heavy workload.
All 15 rescued workers are residents of different areas of Odisha's Balasore district.
The operation was conducted jointly by the East Midnapore district administration, Labour Department and Mandarmani Coastal Police on Wednesday following confidential information ...