Mumbai: In a major action against child labour, the Charkop Police raided an imitation jewellery manufacturing unit in Kandivali West and rescued 13 minors, Mumbai police officials said on Thursday.

The rescued children are reportedly between 13 and 17 years of age.

Mumbai Police conducted the operation at a unit identified as ‘Jhahara Fashion Era’, located in the Charkop Industrial Estate. According to preliminary investigations, minors were allegedly employed at the facility to manufacture imitation jewellery and bangles.

The police said the children were allegedly made to work for nine to 10 hours a day and were not paid adequate wages. All 13 children reportedly hail from different districts of West Bengal.

Investigators also uncovered another disturbing detail during the raid: The children were living at the workplace itself. The owner and operator of the unit reportedly failed to produce valid documents verifying the ages of the children.

The police have detained the unit’s owner, Ankit Kumar Mahendra Rawal, and its operator, Saminur Motiyar Rahman Shaikh. A case has been registered against both under relevant provisions of the Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act and the Juvenile Justice Act.

Following the rescue, the 13 minors were handed over to the department concerned for further care and necessary action.

The police are now investigating who was responsible for bringing the children from West Bengal to Mumbai and whether a larger network involved in child labour is operating behind the racket.

Under Indian law, the Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, which was amended in 2016, prohibits the employment of children below the age of 14 in all occupations and processes, subject to certain exceptions, including helping in non-hazardous family enterprises after school hours or during vacations.

The law also prohibits adolescents between the ages of 14 and 18 from working in hazardous occupations and processes.

Children are permitted to assist their families or family enterprises only under specific conditions, provided the work is non-hazardous and does not adversely affect their education.

Article 24 of the Indian Constitution prohibits the employment of children in factories, mines and other hazardous occupations, while Article 21A guarantees free and compulsory education to children between the ages of six and 14.

Kolkata: Tension broke out at Jadavpur University (JU) campus in South Kolkata on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday over clashes between the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the CPI(M)’s students’ wing and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).

The tension between the two rival students’ unions erupted over the general body meeting of the Faculty of Engineering and Technology Students’ Union (FETSU).

The SFI has claimed that the ABVP has been trying to take control over the JU since the formation of the new state government in West Bengal, mobilised outsiders within the university campus and resorted to vandalism.

The ABVP, on the other hand, has accused the SFI, assisted by activists of the Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist)- affiliated Democratic Students’ Organisation (DSO), of launching an attack on the ABVP office-bearers inside the campus in the guise of a general body meeting.

Some of the students injured in the clashes are currently under treatment at the nearby K.P.C. Medical College and Hospital.

The local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator from Jadavpur Assembly Constituency, Sarbori Mukherjee, an actress-turned-politician, arrived at the hospital on Thursday morning to enquire about the injured students admitted there.

Both the rival groups have lodged FIRs at the local Jadavpur Police Station over the incident. At the same time, both the rival students’ wings have announced massive protest demonstrations on Thursday over the issue within the campus.

At the time the report was filed, no one had been arrested in connection with the clashes that broke out in the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday.

According to the ABVP’s central working committee member, Subhabrata Adhikari, the attack on their office-bearers was orchestrated not just by SFI activists but also by students affiliated to other Left-wing student groups, including those having links with Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) groups.

On the other hand, SFI’s general secretary, Srijan Bhattacharya, said the SFI was nowhere to be found in the entire mess. “What I heard is that the ABVP activists aided by local BJP associates resorted to vandalism within the campus. Why is ABVP so scared to face elections and democratically take control of the students’ body in JU?” Bhattacharya questioned.

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Transport Department has initiated action to cancel or suspend the permits of around 400 auto-rickshaws allegedly used to block roads during an ongoing protest by app-based cab drivers and bike riders at Master Canteen Square in Bhubaneswar, said an official on Thursday.

The road blockade and alleged vandalism by unruly protesters disrupted normal traffic in the area for some time in the master canteen square area on Wednesday.

Several government properties, including CRUT/Ama Bus vehicles, were reportedly damaged during the incident. Based on police records, CCTV footage and preliminary examination of seizure lists, authorities identified and seized more than 400 auto-rickshaws allegedly used to obstruct the road. The Transport Department said the use of vehicles for such illegal activities amounts to a violation of permit conditions.

Accordingly, proceedings have been initiated under Section 86(1)(b) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, for suspension or cancellation of the permits. The Bhubaneswar-I RTO has issued show-cause notices to the registered owners and permit holders of the vehicles concerned.

They have been asked to provide details regarding who was in control of the vehicles during the incident and whether they were used with the owners’ permission, direction or knowledge.

The vehicle owners have been directed to submit written explanations along with the required documents within the stipulated deadline and appear before the RTO for a personal hearing. If no response is received within the prescribed period, or if the concerned persons fail to appear, the authorities may take a decision on permit suspension or cancellation based on the available records.

The Transport Department clarified that the action against the vehicle permits will not affect any separate criminal or other legal proceedings related to the incident.

On Thursday, the Commissionerate Police informed that 113 protesters have so far been arrested and forwarded to court in this case.

The Police seized 354 auto-rickshaws involved in the violent protest.

Similarly, 60 protesting online cab service drivers have been released on bond of good behaviour.

A total of seven cases have been registered in this regard at the Kharavel Nagar Police Station, said officials on Thursday.

The commissionerate police again warned that strong action will be taken against anyone taking the law into their hands. Notably, the app-based cab drivers and bike riders in Odisha have been holding protests in Bhubaneswar over several demands for the last couple of days.

However, the protest turned violent on Wednesday after the drivers staged a road blockade at bustling Master Canteen Square by keeping their auto-rickshaws on the road.

They clashed with police when the latter tried to clear the blockade by removing the vehicles. The protesters pelted stones at police and damaged some public buses at the spot.

The police later resorted to a mild baton charge to bring the situation under control.