BERHAMPUR: Belaguntha police in Ganjam district rescued 28 labourers, including six children from a brick kiln at Baniapalli village and arrested the owner of the kiln. The owner Bali Nayak (49) was forwarded to court on Friday.
Speaking on the operation, Ganjam SP, Jagmohan Meena said he had received information on Thursday about some labourers of Balangir district tortured at the kiln. He was also told about a labourer Binod Tandi (36) who sustained serious injuries after being attacked by the henchmen of the kiln owner after he resisted the torture.
On Meena’s direction, an FIR was lodged and a police team led by sub-inspector AK Pradhan reached the kiln and rescued the labourers on Thursday. “They hailed from Patnagarh area of Balangir district and were lured by a local middleman to work at the brick kiln last November assuring fair wages and good facilities. They were also paid Rs 5,000 to Rs 15,000 per family as advance. But after working in the kiln, when the labourers asked for their wages, the owner reportedly subjected them to physical and verbal abuse,” said police.
The labourers alleged that they were compelled to stay in deplorable conditions, devoid of basic facilities, and forced to work for long hours till almost midnight. Even the children were forced into flipping bricks, while the adults faced relentless pressure to work without any breaks. They were forbidden from leaving the premises, even for urgent needs and lived under constant vigil by guards hired by the owner, the labourers further narrated.
Basing on the statements of the labourers, police arrested Nayak on Thursday and forwarded him to court on Friday. Meanwhile, the SP and collector Dibyajyoti Parida made arrangements for sending the labourers back to their native place.