Bengaluru: 50 members of Irula tribe rescued from bonded labour

Fifty members of the Irula tribe, who were forced into bonded labour in eucalyptus groves on the northern outskirts of Bengaluru, were rescued on Friday.

The Bengaluru Urban district administration collaborated with the Karnataka State Human Rights Commission and the NGO International Justice Mission to rescue the labourers after the brother of a woman labourer from Krishnagiri sought help from the government.

The labourers, among them 15 women and children, were trafficked by an agent from Shivamogga and Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu. They were forced to work 12 hours a day, cutting eucalyptus trees used in the manufacture of paper and cloth. They were paid between Rs 1,000 and 2,000 a week and were taken to different eucalyptus groves in Bengaluru Urban and Rural districts depending on the workload, said Ignatius Joseph, a member of the rescue team.

While some labourers fell into the trap two years ago, others had been in debt bondage for the past 15 years. In the name of housing, they were forced to live in tents made from tarpaulin sheets. They were not allowed to visit their native village and had to leave their children behind as a surety if they had to go for an emergency.

Besides rescuing the labourers, police also arrested the owners of the eucalyptus groves. FIRs under IPC section 370 (trafficking of persons) and the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act were registered at Doddabelavangala and Madanayakanahalli police stations.

Irulas have been designated as a scheduled tribe.