15 'bonded labourers' rescued

Acting on a credible information provided by Paschim Banga Khet Majoor Samiti, a trade union of agricultural workers from West Bengal, a team of officials led by Mangalore Tahsildar Ravichandra Naik and State assistant labour commissioner Venkatesh Sindihatti along with police personnel raided workers huts around 6:45 am, to witness a tragic scene.

Incapacitated by the widespread hunger, in Purulia and Bankura districts of West Bengal, the workers had been forced to migrate to Karnataka in search of work.

In the last week of August, Dibesh Das, a contractor in Purulia district had recruited a total of 15 workers from Layekdi and Lakhanpur villages in Purulia district and Katharia village in Bankura district.

However, Dibesh Das handed the workers over to Bholanath Singh, a labour contractor from Burdwan district, who in turn had sent them through his employee Sanjay Singh to work in Mangalore. The workers were engaged for construction work.

As contractor promised Rs 4,000 monthly wages apart from food, shelter and other necessary facilities for eight-hour work a day, the helpless 14 men and a woman thought they could return to their homes with a heavy purse after a few months of toil.

However after reaching their new work place, they were literally treated as bonded labourers and their family members too could not contact them for a long time.

It is said that when the family members asked the contractor for the whereabouts of the workers, they were instead threatened.

“Quite against to their promise, we were forced to work 14 - 16 hours a day with hardly any payment of wages so far. Since past one and a half month, we were taken out from our huts at 7 am in the morning for work and were only allowed back at 9 pm”, said Muchiram Kaibartha, one of the workers.

“When I protested against the ill treatment a few days ago, the contractor thrashed me”, he said showing the wound on his leg.

“We were not allowed to go out of the workplace as the contractor always kept an eye on us. And whenever we raised our problems before the employers they respond with physical violence and abusive language” said Biplav Gode, another labourer.

“When we pleaded the contractor for monthly wages, he replied that he had bought us all for Rs 4 lakh from another contractor, who is now absconding”, he said, adding that so far the workers were able to get a payment of Rs 70 for a week.

Bhim Goswamy, another worker alleged that the musclemen beat the workers, when they put up a protest against the continuous exploitation. “We just want to go out of this hell. We had come here with a dream earning. But, we became bonded labourers. My wife Urmila has fallen sick, but, I don't have money to take her to the doctor”, he lamented.

He said that the employers had failed to provide minimum treatment for Urmila, the only woman among the 15 workers, who has been suffering stomach pain and neck pain since several days.

“I cannot see things after 5 pm due to vision problem. However, I was forced to take cement mix to the upper floors by steps till night” complained an ailing Sanjay Kaibarta.

Not bonded labourers!

Speaking to media persons Tahsildar Ravichandra Naik said, although it was confirmed that 15 labourers were forced to work for no wages by one Sanjay Singh, they cannot be called as bonded labourers.

“There was no sign of human rights violation. Even during the medical examination, doctors could not found any mark of physical torture on the labourers”, he said.

However, Mr Sindihatti admitted that the 'violation of labour law' was apparent in this case. “If they want to return home after securing the pending wages, we will make proper arrangements for their travel” he said.