A total of 49 bonded labourers, including 41 adults and eight children from Chhattisgarh, were rescued from a gaushala in Uthukottai by Tiruvallur district authorities on Monday.According to officials, the workers had been recruited to Gokul Krishna gaushala located in Devandavakkam village in Uthukottai taluk with the promise of daily wages of ₹400 for men and ₹300 for women. They arrived at the gaushala on May 5 and were allegedly made to work for 12 hours a day without receiving any wages. The workers were also said to be physically assaulted and denied adequate medical care. When the workers informed the owner that they no longer wished to work at the farm and requested payment of their pending wages before returning to their native place, the owner allegedly refused. He reportedly told them that he would not pay them any money and threatened to file theft complaints against them if they attempted to leave. Fearing further harassment, the workers escaped from the gaushala without the owner’s knowledge and sought refuge at the police station.Following the complaint, officials from the Revenue Department, Labour Department, and police conducted an inspection at the gaushala. During the inquiry, it was found that around 1,500 cattle were being maintained at the facility and that workers had been employed to care for the animals, clean cattle sheds, and perform other duties.Tiruvallur Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) Ravichandran said that proceedings have been initiated under the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, and they have issued release certificates to all the rescued persons. They will be sent back to their native places, and the government has credited ₹30,000 as relief assistance to the bank account of each rescued person. Published - June 02, 2026 07:08 pm IST