The crackdown comes in the backdrop of the recent surprise visit of Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar to the APMC shipyard in Yeshwanthpur, where officials found 19 children working on the premises.
On Saturday, as part of a large-scale crackdown on child labor across the state, police teams and Labor Department officials inspected 16,951 premises across Karnataka and rescued 800 children, all within two hours, with Bengaluru city alone accounting for 63% of the rescues, 503
The crackdown comes in the backdrop of the recent surprise visit of Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar to the APMC shipyard in Yeshwanthpur, where officials found 19 children working on the premises. Following this, the Chief Minister ordered a crackdown across the state and the protest on Saturday included markets, eateries, workshops, construction sites, garages, welding shops and small industrial units.
The special drive was carried out from 10:00 am to noon across 962 police stations.
Bangalore achieved the highest result
Bengaluru city recorded the highest number of cases with 503 children rescued. Police teams inspected 5,897 premises within 188 police stations.
A total of 18 cases were registered under the Child and Youth Labor (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 and the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015.
The rescued children belonged to Karnataka, Bihar, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam, Jharkhand and Nepal. “Most of the rescued children are from hotels, restaurants, eateries, petrol stations, grocery stores and warehouses. They were employed because they are paid much less than adults,” Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said.
“The rescue operation was categorized as hazardous and non-hazardous occupations. In cases of hazardous work, FIRs were registered against the employers. Employers found engaging children in non-hazardous work were issued warnings,” said another senior officer involved in the operation. Hindu.
Vijayapura, Tumakuru
Vijayapura district reported the second highest number of rescue operations at 72 after checking 1,156 premises. The district reported 25 cases of action, including three FIRs. Tumakuru district rescued 33 children from 660 premises.
Not a single child laborer was rescued during the trip in KGF, Mysuru, Mandya, Davangere, Hassan, Shivamoga, Uttara Kannada, Chikkamagaluru, Gadag and Raichur districts.
The rescued children were handed over to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) for rehabilitation.
Published – Sep 13, 2026 07:07 EST.