Bhopal/Rajgarh (Madhya Pradesh): Thirty-nine people from Rajgarh in Madhya Pradesh working as bonded labourers in sugarcane fields in Maharashtra's Kolhapur district have been rescued, police said on Saturday.
An official said a contractor had taken these people to Kolhapur in the neighbouring state a month back but had not paid them wages since their arrival there.
"A couple of days ago, the Narsinghgarh MLA had informed about 39 bonded labourers being stuck in Maharashtra's Kolhapur district. I immediately talked to Kolhapur SP and sent a police team from here to bring them back safely. They arrived at their homes on Friday," said Superintendent of Police Pradeep Sharma.
Police officials said a resident of Ambedkar Nagar in Rajgarh, Pappu Pardi, had informed about he and his brother being part of a group of 39 people stuck as bonded labourers in Girgaon village under Ispurli police station limits in Kolhapur.
"They said Mehmood Khan, a contractor from Berhampur in MP, had taken them to Kolhapur and had handed them over to one Mahesh Madhukar Chouhan in Girgaon. When these people asked for wages after working for 25 days, Chouhan told them the money had been paid to Khan and then stopped them from leaving the place," an official said.
"One of the women in the group even gave birth to a child there. We are taking the statements of the group after which action will follow," Sharma said.
On their arrival, the local MLA, district collector Harsh Dixit and the SP welcomed them.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan praised the police for their prompt work in the situation.
