District child welfare committee and Belagavi-based NGO Spandana rescued nine child labourers from north India who were brought to work in sugar factories in Belagavi and Bagalkot districts.
These labourers were part of sugarcane cutting gangs used by labour contractors to harvest sugarcane. One of the factories that the gangs worked for is Nirani Sugars in Kulali village in Jamkhandi in Bagalkot district.
Activists claim that 20–odd labourers were brought from Madhya Pradesh and engaged in bonded labour. All the labourers and the children belong to a tribal community. The children were rescued on January 27. They are now housed in the district children welfare home.
Three complaints have been filed.
The labourers filed a complaint with Deputy Commissioner M.G. Hiremath seeking release and compensation under the The Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976. They released a video statement describing their working conditions. They demanded to be released and sent to their homes in Pati in Barwani district in Madhya Pradesh.
“We were brought here by fraud, lied about the good wages that we would receive here. Due to our desperate situation, we were forced to take on debt to come here,’’ one of the labourers alleged in a video sent to the district administration.
The second complaint was filed by Sudhir Katiyar, member of the NHRC core committee on bonded labour, which was sent to Deputy Commissioner M.G. Hiremath in Belagavi. He has sought action against the employers, the labour contractor and others who were involved in the offence, as per provisions of The Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976.
The third complaint was filed by Susheela K., founder of Spandana, before the district legal services authority (DLSA). “DLSA have assured that our petition will be considered seriously,” Ms. Susheela told The Hindu.
Mr. Hiremath ordered an inquiry on January 18. The tahsildar and the district labour officer were told to visit Kusanal village in Belagavi district for a spot inspection. The local inquiry report mentioned that the labourers were made to live in plastic tents in open fields. However, the report did not mention that they were bonded labourers.
Mr. Katiyar wrote back to the DC’s office refuting the findings of the committee headed by the tahsildar. He said, “It is clear that the officer is not fully conversant with provisions of The Bonded Labour (Abolition) Act.” He urged the DC to reject the report and take necessary action under The Bonded Labour (Abolition) Act.
He demanded that the workers be released and the group be issued release certificates, and immediate financial assistance of ₹20,000 to each person. The DC should order filing of cases against the persons responsible for the offence and a summary trial be conducted. The Labour Department be instructed to initiate proceedings under Minimum Wages Act and a detailed inquiry be ordered into other similar cases.
“We suspect that this is not an isolated case. There should be an inquiry to detect such cases across the region,’’ he said.
Mr. Hiremath said that he was in receipt of all three complaints and that they would be looked into by a senior officer.
Vijay Nirani, Chairman and Managing Director of Nirani Sugars, said he was not aware of the incident. “We are following all relevant laws and rules. We have a strict policy against child labour and bonded labour. We don’t think our company’s factories are involved in this case. However, if we come to know of any violation by any of our staff or associates, we will take necessary action,’’ he said.
