Hundreds of activists under the banner 'Jeetha Vimuktha Karnataka' yesterday took out a protest march from Kote Anjaneya Swamy Temple to the office of the Deputy Commissioner urging the Government to identify and liberate people working under the bonded labour system in the district.

The protesters said that 253 persons liberated from bonded labour in 2012 should be given compensation and rehabilitated immediately and demanded that a proper inquiry should be conducted into the incidents of slavery besides arranging awareness programmes once in two months in this regard.

They also demanded that the Government should provide title deeds to those working as bonded labourers in Hampapura.

The protest march, which started from Kote Anjaneya Swamy Temple, passed through Clock Tower, Gandhi Square, Dufferin Clock Tower and Devaraj Urs Road to reach DC's office where they staged a protest demanding the District Administration to initiate steps to liberate the bonded labourers and pay a monthly stipend of Rs. 1000 and a compensation of Rs. 1 lakh.

The protesters were led by convenors Basavaraju, Chandrashekar Murthy, Nagamma and Mahadev.