Factory owner forces 9-year-old to work, boy loses arm

LUDHIANA: A 9-year-old boy lost his arm in a shoe factory, where he went to see his grandmother and was asked by the factory owner to fill in for the shortage of labourers. Police booked the factory owner for negligence after his father lodged a police complaint.

Billu Ram, a resident of

Islam Gunj

and a labourer said his son Aakash Kumar, a student of class IV, went to see his grandmother

Ganeshi Devi

, who worked at a shoe factory in Ajit Nagar of Amarpura.

He alleged that, on October 2, 2016, factory owner

Upkar Singh

forced Aakash to work due to shortage of labourers. Upkar Singh took Aakash to the roof and assigned him some work near the generator. Suddenly, he said the boy’s left arm got stuck in the generator.

Hearing his screams, the labourers rushed to the roof and rescued Aakash. But his hand had been crushed by then. He was rushed to a private hospital on

Brown Road

, where his arm was amputated.

“The factory owner threatened me with dire consequences if I lodged a police complaint. He also made my wife Sangeeta, mother Ganeshi Devi and brother Rajinder Kumar sign some documents,”said Billu Ram.

“I was afraid of Upkar Singh and kept quiet for seven months, but eventually I filed a complaint on May 10,” he said. Officials from division no 2 police station said they have registered a case under sections 287 (Negligent conduct with respect to machinery), 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others), 338 (Causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC against factory owner Upkar singh alias Baba, after his father lodged a complaint.

So far, no arrest has been made.