The Hindu : Bonded labourers freed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 07, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Bonded labourers freed

By Our Staff Reporter

MALAPPURAM, MARCH. 6. At least 20 bonded labourers, including three women and two children from Tamil Nadu, were freed from a brick kiln at Mailambara at Karulayi in Nilambur here on Friday.

The Revenue and police officials, including the District Collector, M. Sivasanker, the Perinthalmanna Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO), T.P. Raveendran, and the District Superintendent of Police, E.J. Jayaraj, freed the bonded labourers hailing from Nagapattanam in Tamil Nadu after conducting a raid on the brick kiln in the interiors of the district.

Later, all the labourers were given a medical check-up and admitted to the Manjeri Government Hospital here. The labourers complained that they had been illegally detained at the work place for a long time. They alleged that the employers used to beat them when they asked for wages. The brick kiln was owned by one Abdu Rahiman, officials said.

The workers were recruited from Nagapattanam four months ago through an agent hailing from Chalakkudi in Thrissur district. After paying an advance amount ranging from Rs. 500 to Rs. 2,500, they were assured of decent wages by the employers.

Officials said that five employees who escaped from brick kiln a week ago had lodged a compliant with the Tamil Nadu Government and the National Scheduled Caste and Schedule Tribes Commission that they had been subjected to bonded labour at the brick kiln in Kerala.

Action was taken after the National SC/ST Commission director, Kannaki, contacted the Malappuram Collector and asked him to look into the complaints of bonded labour by people in Tamil Nadu in the district. The RDO, Raveendran, inspected the site and also submitted a report to the Collector on Thursday.

The freed labourers were identifies as Ramalingam, Murukadas, Kumar, Lakshmanan, Chandran, Kumar, Thevar Sukumaran, Surendran, Chindachan, Shelvaraj, Das, Balashekar, Sheladurai, Arul, Shelvan, Mercy, Thankamani and Susheela. Twelve-year-old Raja, four-year-old Manoharan and a 10-month- old infant, Sathyasheelan, were also with them.

Around one lakh bricks illegally manufactured at the kiln were also seized in the raids.

Mr. Sivasanker said there was prima facie evidence that the workers had been denied wages.

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