9-year-old tribal boy’s death in Tirupati district exposes bonded labour horror
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Tirupati: The shocking death of a 9-year-old boy from the Yanadi tribal community has brought to light a disturbing case of bonded labour and exploitation in Andhra Pradesh’s Tirupati district.
According to police, the boy, Yanadi Venkateshu, was illegally confined and forced into child labour for nearly a year by a family from N Agraharam in Satyavedu mandal. The Satyavedu police, under the supervision of Puttur DSP G Ravikumar, have arrested three accused: N Muthu (60), his wife M Dhanabhagyam (52), and their son M Rajasekhar (32).
The child’s mother, Ankamma, a resident of Chavatapalem in Gudur mandal, was working with her family as a farm labourer in Nellore district when they were approached by the accused. They were promised Rs 10,000/month wages and given an advance of Rs 15,000, only to be subjected to exploitative conditions, including duck rearing and agricultural work.
After Ankamma’s husband passed away, she returned home temporarily. Muthu then demanded Rs 45,000 to release the family from bonded labour. With no immediate funds, Ankamma left Venkateshu behind as a surety while she arranged the amount.
The boy, subjected to daily toil and abuse, pleaded to be rescued. Ankamma's repeated attempts to retrieve her son were met with lies, Muthu alternately claimed the child had been sent for work, hospitalized, or had run away.
The truth emerged after Ankamma filed a police complaint on 19 May 2025. Investigations revealed that Venkateshu had fallen ill on 11 April, was hospitalized in Pudupaalem, and died the next day. In a bid to hide the death, the accused secretly buried the body in Tamil Nadu’s Kancheepuram district, Muthu’s in-laws' native village.
The body was later exhumed under the supervision of Kanchi Sub-Collector Rafeeq and a postmortem was conducted at Chengalpattu Medical College. All three accused were remanded under multiple laws including the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, Child Labour Act, Juvenile Justice Act, and SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Activists highlight that this is not an isolated case. The Yanadi tribal community continues to face systemic exploitation across sectors such as duck rearing, charcoal production, brick kilns, and shrimp processing. Last year alone, nearly 50 Yanadi individuals were rescued from bonded labour across Andhra Pradesh.
In a similar recent case, Yanadi couple Namburu Padma and Agni from Nellore reported being trapped in bonded labour for over 15 years.
Shaik Basheer, Executive Secretary of ARD NGO and a District Vigilance Committee member, emphasized the urgent need for a State Action Plan on Bonded Labour to prevent such tragedies.
“Addressing individual cases is not enough. The state must proactively monitor industries and protect vulnerable communities,” he said.
NGOs such as Shed India have rescued other children from similar situations, and efforts are ongoing to ensure justice for Venkateshu’s family. Venkatesh, a representative of the National Adivasi Solidarity Council (NASC), confirmed that investigations continue, and the final postmortem report is awaited.
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BJP leads in 5 of 7 bypoll seats as counting continues; Congress leads in Karnataka’s Bagalkot
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party is leading in five out of the seven seats where counting of votes for the by-elections is currently underway, according to early trends.
In Maharashtra’s Baramati, Sunetra Pawar of the Nationalist Congress Party is in the lead.
In Karnataka’s Bagalkot constituency, Congress candidate Umesh Meti is ahead.
The counting process is ongoing, and final results are yet to be declared.
