Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Some workers from Bhopal, who were lured with promises of a better job and good wages, were forced into bonded labour in Maharshtra and work in inhumane conditions. The case surfaced when two
of them managed to flee and reached Bhopal. However, others are still being detained and forced to work in a pea processing factory. Their families have appealed to police officials seeking their rescue.
Varsha Ahirwar, wife of one such labourer Dharmendra, lodged a missing complaint at Jahangirabad police station. She said that her husband Dharmendra worked as a daily wage labourer. He left home on December 26 for work but did not return. The next day, he called her from another person’s mobile phone and said he was going to Karnataka for work. After that call, all contact with him was lost.
On Monday, Varsha approached police commissioner Harinarayanachari Mishra seeking help. The police commissioner has given instructions in this connection.
Similarly, Shabana, a resident of a settlement near Maida Mill area had been running from pillar to post for several days to bring her husband back. She said her husband Shamim had gone with other labourers for work but did not return. About three days ago, Shamim finally managed to return to Bhopal.
He revealed that he, Dharmendra, Vishal, Rahul, Om Prakash, Jeetu and Shakeel, had gone to Jinsi on the morning of December 26 in search of work. There they met a man named Abhishek, who promised them jobs in a factory in Karnataka with a daily wage of Rs 600 and free food and accommodation. Trusting him, they travelled with him by train.
However, instead of Karnataka, they were first taken to a location near the Karnataka- Maharashtra border and later shifted to Nanded Road area in Maharashtra. There, they were allegedly forced to work in a tur dal (pigeon pea) factory. Shamim claimed that despite working for several days, they were not paid any wages. When they protested, they were beaten and threatened and told to continue working silently. They were provided only two meals a day.
According to Shamim, those who said they wanted to return home were also assaulted and threatened
How the workers fled
He said that one night, he and another labourer Vishal from Bank Colony managed to escape secretly from the factory. Shamim travelled nearly 140 kilometres by bus to Nanded railway station and then took a train back to Bhopal. Vishal also reportedly escaped separately and returned home.
Rajasthan gang behind racket
Shamim further alleged that a gang from Rajasthan was involved in trapping labourers through false promises and forcing them into bonded labour. He claimed that around 60 to 70 labourers from Bhopal and other places were still being held and forced to work at the same location.
