Forty-four residents from Kota area have been allegedly forced to live as bonded labourers in a brick kiln located at Pratapgarh area of Uttar Pradesh. A person who somehow managed to escape from the brick kiln had lodged complaint in this connection with police and district administration, informed BS Nishad Station House Officer Kota on Friday.
About 44 people, including 21 children, all residents of Billibandh area under Kota police station of district had moved to Uttar Pradesh in 2013 for getting some job. They got employed in a brick kiln situated in lalganj area of Pratapgarh in Uttar Pradesh. For sometimes things were going well but for the past four months the brick kiln operator Pawan Kumar Maurya did not pay labourers their wages and was even torturing them, alleged Ramkumar Banjare one of the labourers, who managed to run away from the kiln facility and has lodged complaint with SDM Kota. Banjare told administration that he could no more bear inhuman treatment meted to him by kiln owner and hence ran away.
“We have received the complaint and have moved it to labour court and very soon a team will be constituted for rescuing them,” SHO Nishad said, adding, “It has been noted many times that due to some conflicts in payments the labourers register these kinds of complaints. However, picture will be clear once we visit the place.”
The labourers, who had managed to run away from the kiln, on Thursday met with the SDM Kota and requested to take quick action in this connection. Noteworthy here is that in February more than 100 bonded labourers most of them residents of Janjgir-Champa were rescued from Jammu and Kashmir.