Officials bundle off bonded labourers on open truck with parottas for dinner

CHENNAI: No relief amount, no release certificates! All that a group of bonded labourers rescued from a brick kiln in Akkamanicken Pudur of Dindigul’s Palani taluk got was parottas for dinner and free transportation — that too on an open truck for nearly 400 km — to their village in Cuddalore.

Hours after DT Next contacted the Revenue Divisional Officer of Palani, S Sivakumar, on Friday evening, regarding the plight of the bonded labourers reportedly held captive by a brick-kiln owner, the officials acted swiftly and discreetly ferried them on a lorry to Anguchettipalayam in Cuddalore district.

Activist and convenor of National Adivasi Solidarity Council K Krishnan said the officials’ action amounted to utter disregard for the 1976 Act against the practice of bonded labour system. “The officials miserably failed in following the TN government’s guidelines in rescue, release and rehabilitation of victims of bondage,” he said.

In fact, it was a copycat of the April 10 incident when 25 bonded labourers, including children, were ferried in a mini-van to the Palani bus stand and forced to board a bus to their native Villupuram without a proper inquiry. The officials did not issue release certificates that would guarantee them relief measures under the central sector scheme and other social security schemes of the state government.

The officials reached the kiln, owned by Karthickeyan, at about 6.30 pm. “They did not listen to our pleas. They wanted to remove us from there. By 9.30 pm, we were forced to board the lorry with our belongings. Before leaving the kiln, the officials bought us parotta for dinner. By 9 am Saturday, we reached our village,” said Prakash, who worked with his family of six, for the last eight years.

“The officials spoke in an intimidating manner and forced us to sign a letter, stating we are not bonded labourers,” Prakash said. His relatives Ajith and Ayappan echoed the same. They said they were browbeaten to work and lived in excessively abusive conditions. Even children were not spared from working.

Bonded labourers: Minister to order detailed inquiry

The RDO sent two policemen along with the victims in the lorry. “The policemen got down from the lorry when we reached Ulundurpet,” said Ayappan and added he would never repeat such a grave mistake in his lifetime to be caught in a debt trap and engulfed in bondage. They appealed to the government to help their children to study and to provide housing facilities under a government scheme.

RDO Sivakumar denied that they obtained signatures forcibly and said, “They signed on their own and there is no intention of covering up the bonded labour issue. After conducting a thorough enquiry, we arranged transportation with the help of the brick-kiln owner for the labourers and sent them home. They were unwilling to stay despite us being ready to provide accommodation.”

The official maintained his stand that the labourers, who have been working for more than 15 to 16 hours a day for less wage, are not under bondage.

“There is no compound wall and the labourers are going out to shandy weekly to purchase groceries,” the official said to justify his understanding of the bonded labour system. He further said there 25 other families were staying in the brick kiln and they would hold an enquiry with them.

Labour Minister CV Ganesan told DT Next that he would order a detailed inquiry into the issue and take stern action against the officials, who violated the standard operating procedures in rescuing and rehabilitating bonded labourers