35 bonded labourers rescued in Vijayapura district

The rescue operation was carried out by a police team led by Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) of Indi sub-division Shreedhar D.
The rescued labourers were living under poor conditions for the last 3 months
The rescued labourers were living under poor conditions for the last 3 months

VIJAYAPURA: As many as 15 families hailing from Palanga village of Bhainsdehi taluk in Madhya Pradesh’s Betul district were rescued from bonded labour at Gubbewad village near Indi town on Thursday night. They were employed by a contractor to harvest sugarcane.

The rescue operation was carried out by a police team led by Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) of Indi sub-division Shreedhar D. As many as 35 labourers from the 15 families have been residing residing in poor conditions in temporary tents without proper facilities for health, food, shelter and toilet for the last three months.

Of the rescued, 22 are men, 13 are women and 10 are children. The police have arrested Sharanappa Kavali, a middleman, for employing the labourers. According to Police, “Sharanappa had arranged for transport of the employees from Madhya Pradesh to Indi and had made an initial payment of Rs 40,000 per family, as wages, for sugarcane harvesting in Gubbewada. He has failed to provide basic facilities to the families and also delayed in paying the remaining agreed wages,” police said.

The labourers then alerted the deputy commissioner of Betul, who contacted the Inspector General of Police of Belagavi (Northern Range). “The middleman has violated all labour laws. He has failed to provide basic facilities. We have sent them back to their native,” DySp Shreedhar told TNIE. A case has been registered in Indi Police Station.

Belagavi admin tried to bury cases: Report
Bengaluru: A few days after Bonded Labour System Abolition Day was observed, a fact-finding team released a report on two cases of alleged bonded labour in Nippani and Ramdurg in Belagavi. Though authorities refuse to recognise them as bonded labour cases, the workers were bonded labourers as defined in the Bonded Labour Systems (Abolition) Act, 1976, the report read. The fact-finding mission, undertaken by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties – Karnataka, the All India Lawyers’ Association for Justice and the All India Students’ Association, allege that the incidents were also cases of child, human and labour rights violations. On January 27, nine children, forced to work in sugarcane fields, were freed. The report claims 20 workers, including the children, were hired by contractors on false pretences. The report pointed out that authorities did not take up the issue as a case of bonded labour on the grounds that the workers had not been physically restrained. ENS

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