Adivasis held as bonded labourers in Belagavi: Report

The Adivasi community members from Madhya Pradesh were held as bonded labourers and child labourers in Nipani and Ramdurg taluks of Belagavi district, a fact-finding team’s report revealed.

Representatives of People’s Union for Civil Liberties – Karnataka (PUCL-K), All India Lawyers’ Association for Justice (AILAJ) and All India Students’ Association (AISA) stated in the report that there were multiple statutory violations of child rights, labour rights and human rights.

The team visited Belagavi on January 28 and January 29, met the workers, deputy commissioner, deputy labour commissioner, the child welfare committee and the district legal services authority as part of a joint probe.

Contractors brought labourers to Belagavi by making Rs 20,000 advance payment per labourer. The advance payment was made to 20 workers, who included nine minors. They worked for two-and-a-half months without pay. When they sought wages, the contractors told them they (labourers) were still under the debt of Rs 2 lakh and they could leave only after clearing this debt. This is clearly a ‘bonded debt’ as defined under the Bonded Labour Systems (Abolition) Act, 1976, the report stated.

The report quoted deputy commissioner as saying that the workers were sent back to Madhya Pradesh. Tahsildar in his report to the DC stated that it was not an incident of bonded labour. The officer stated that the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976 was enforced toto. He asked the team to submit written requests about the specifics which would be answered.

The calls were unattended when DH contacted the DC.

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