More than 50 children were found in a liquor factory called Som Distillery in Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has registered an FIR against the factory owners following the discovery, news agency ANI reported on Saturday.

Reacting to the incident, NCPCR Chairman Priyank Kanoongo told ANI, “We had received a complaint from Bachpan Bachao Andolan that in Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh, in a liquor factory called Som Distillery, children were found working in the production of liquor.”

“More than 50 children were found there… They were asked to work for 15 hours in situations where we wouldn’t even be able to stand… This is a non-bailable offense. We are getting an FIR registered and the owners will also be arrested,” he added.

On Friday, a PTI report quoting officials noted that 25 girls and 11 boys were rescued from three factories in Raisen district. An FIR was registered against the factory owners for using child labour.

The rescue operation in the Mandideep industrial area was led by the NCPCR in coordination with police teams and the Association for Voluntary Action, also known as Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA). The report stated that the factories were sealed and an FIR was later filed.

An official told PTI: “The operation was started based on a BBA complaint. The 36 children looked vulnerable, malnourished and sleep deprived. They had to work 12 to 14 hours every day. They are aged 15 to 17 years. group and hail from Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and adjoining districts in Madhya Pradesh. Most of the rescued girls belonged to the nearby tribal areas.

The rescued children were produced before the Child Welfare Committee and counselled, according to the PTI report. The three units included a bakery that produced biscuits and rusks, a food processing plant and a factory that made plastic electronic products.

BBA director Manish Sharma told PTI, “Owners of such units are blinded by the greed for cheap and docile labour, while parents fail to fulfill false promises made by traffickers and employers.”

ALSO READ AT ABP LIVE | ‘More rats than patients’: Videos show rats roaming Madhya Pradesh hospital ward, Cong Slams Govt