The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) has issued notice to the Odisha DGP and Chief Secretary and DG of Railway Protection Force (RPF) on chopping off both the hands of a migrant worker.
Taking cognizance of the horrific, barbaric and ghastly act narrated in the petition filed by civil rights lawyer Radhakanta Tripathy, the apex panel for the STs sought for a response from the three authorities within 15 days.
The two hands of Angad Mallick, a poor migrant tribal worker from Dahalapadi Sahi in Baliguda NAC of Kandhamal, were chopped off by miscreants in Mumbai while he was on the way to Gujarat in search of work. Due to gross negligence and prolonged inaction by the Government of Odisha and the Center, the plight of migrant workers continues as poverty alleviation scheme fails to reach before these ill-fated, Tripathy alleged.
Tripathy cited similar inhuman incidents faced by migrant workers. On February 8, Samulu Pangi from Koraput district walked several kms with his wife's body on his shoulder from a hospital in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.
Another victim of distress migration Sanka Murmu of Kalba village under Adaba police station limits in Damadua panchayat of Gajapati district suffered injuries as the labour contractor chopped off his hand and leg. In 2013, the right palms of two migrant labourers were chopped off by a labour contractor and his accomplices in Kalahandi district.
