Post News Network
Sonepur, Feb 3: As many as 25 bonded labourers, including seven women and eight children of Subarnapur district who had allegedly been tortured for the past 14 months and held captive, were rescued from a brick kiln near Pune in Maharashtra. They returned to the
district Monday.
“Ten more labourers would also return to the state,” Subarnapur SP Sara Sharma said in a press meet Monday. They have got a new lease of life, the labourers said with tears in their eyes.
Reports said, Udia Das, a labour
contractor of Babupali village, lured the poor villagers under Rampur and Dungurupali police limits to work in a brick kiln in Pune, promising them of `30,000 each.
About 35 labourers, along with their wives and children, trusting Das’ words, went to Maharashtra without
receiving any advance payments.
However, the labourers were forcibly detained and made to work in the kiln as the labour contractor collected all their wages from the brick kiln owner in advance.
The owner used to beat them up and torture them physically and mentally without providing them proper food, the labourers alleged, adding, they were often kept hungry.
Each family was being given a paltry amount of `1,000 once a week, they said. The labour contractor fled after pocketing their wages, one of the labourers said. Subala Sahoo and Tengunu Nayak of Kuibahal village under Binika block informed SP Sharma January 10 about the incident.
Following this, Subarnapur police contacted Ahmmadnagar police
control room over the incident with information to the collector and district labour officer. On being pressurized by police, the kiln owner sent the
labourers to Orissa Saturday.
Some labour contractors tried again to take them on contract when they arrived at Raipur railway station. However, the labourers managed to escape and reached Sonepur.
Police, after examining the health of the labouers, took them to the
grievance cell of the collector and the children were taken to child welfare committee.
“The labourers’ families and their children would be provided all sorts of government assistance,” additional district magistrate Rudra Prasanna Sahoo said. Sonepur SDPO Bhawani Shankar Udgata and IIC Rina Kumari Behera were present at the press conference.
