Post News Network
Lanjigarh, July 14: In yet another incident of plight of a bonded labourer, body of a 20-year-old girl working at a tile factory in Kerala was sent to her native place in Kalahandi district Sunday. The incident came to the fore Tuesday after media intervention.
The deceased was identified as Ketaki Bibhar (20) of Sikerkupa village under Lanjigarh block.
Though Ketaki died July 10, her family did not disclose the matter due to fear from the owner of the company, where Ketaki was working and performed the last rites.
Her mother Parbati said, “We are poor people. It is impossible for us to raise voice against company owner.” She alleged that her daughter was murdered.
According to her family members, the postmortem report suggested that the girl died a normal death. However, they suspect that the report was manipulated. They added the company’s owner only sent a document of the postmortem report keeping other documents and related items with him.
Meanwhile, the residents urged that the district administration and the labour department to intervene into the matter and unearth the truth. They also demanded compensation to the kin of the deceased.
The district collector should take measures to identify bonded labourers in Lanjigarh area and rehabilitate them, the residents added.
Ketaki’s brothers Pradip and Naveen said she had gone to Kerala with some of the villagers in January. She was working in a tiles company at Kijayur. On July 14, she had gone to a nearby market in the evening after finishing her day’s work.
After returning, she vomited in her room. Her co-workers rushed her to a hospital at Pattambi, where doctors declared her dead. Post-mortem was conducted at the government medical college and hospital at Trishur. The company owner later sent the body to her native place in a train with one of her relatives.
