BHUBANESWAR: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has sought action taken reports (ATRs) from chief secretaries of Odisha and Telangana on the heart wrenching incidents of mortgaging children for final rites of their fathers, the sole breadwinner of their families.
The Commission issued this direction on Friday after taking cognizance of a petition filed by human rights activist and lawyer Radhakanta Tripathy last month. In the complaint, he mentioned two incidents of extreme suffering of the labourers.
In one incident, one Shukadev Parabhue with his wife, son and daughter from Balangir district’s Belpada block went to work at a brick kiln in Telangana. Due to unhygienic conditions and excruciating labour, Shukadev fell ill. As he did not get proper medical treatment, he succumbed to his illness on March 8.
After getting information about the kiln owner’s plan to bury the deceased’s body there, Shukadev’s wife had requested the kiln owner to take the body back to the village for last rites. As the deceased had taken Rs 60,000 from the owner, the latter forcibly kept her 12-year-old daughter as a bonded labourer. The wife returned to her village along with her six-year-old son.
The wife brought the body to Odisha, but the owners of the brick kiln forcibly kept her daughter as bonded labourer to pay the amount back. “After a few days, the district administration had rescued the girl from the brick kiln,” said the petitioner.
In another incident, one woman from Champua in Keonjhar district was forced to pawn two of her sons to feed other children. Sabitri Nayak, a tribal from Gadhuli village under Champua block, had borrowed Rs 5000 from a neighbour to perform the last rite of her husband on January 26, 2016. She handed over her two sons (one was 13-year-old, and another was 11-year-old) to the neighbour.
The two sons were looking after the cattle of the neighbour. The woman has three more children. “The sole breadwinner of the family died due to prolonged illness. The poor family is facing a difficult time to arrange food for themselves. I have requested for the intervention of the Commission in the matter,” said the petitioner.
Tripathy said he filed this petition last month to know whether the state government has addressed the issue in entirety within seven years. “Government should ensure that similar incidents do not happen in future,” he added.
After hearing this case, the Commission has sought an action taken report from the chief secretary of Odisha and Telangana within four weeks
