84 bonded labourers freed, narrate shocking tales of torture, molestation
HARTOSH SINGH BAL

JALANDHAR/RUPWALA, DEC 17: ``I was put to work watering the potato fields. Some others working with me escaped. I was caught and taken back to the construction site. All night long we were beaten with lathis. Then I was forced to bend over and my head was bound to my legs, my hands were tied behind my back. I was forced to remain like this for an hour. In the morning they brought me out along with Binay who was forced to undergo the same ordeal.''

``They then made us lie down on our stomachs, placed a board each on our backs and drove a wheel of a tractor up the board. We were left in this state bearing the weight of a tractor for over half-an-hour. The owner of the storage S M Singh came and saw us. They then freed us after he said we might die. That evening, he joined in beating us up.''

This is the testimony of Mahender, 32, of Suhu village in Ranchi district. He along with Binay, 22, of Kottanga village were among the 84 bonded labourers freed from the cold storage construction site nearRupwala village near Shahkot on Wednesday night and Thursday .

The bonded labourers, Munda tribals mainly from Bihar, related shocking tales of molestation and torture after they were freed on Thursday following the intervention of the Pendu Mazdoor Union.

The labourers were working as construction workers at a cold storage here. Several of the women related tales of alleged rape and molestation and the men told of extreme physical punishment meted out to them. Allegedly none of the workers had been paid.

Senior Superintendent of Police Gaurav Yadav told this correspondent that a First Information Report under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Bonded Labour Act had been registered in connection with the case.Yadav said while the woman on whose testimony the FIR is based did not allege rape, she has alleged molestation and bejatti. Earlier, when contacted, the owner of the cold storage, Satinder Mohan Singh, said, ``These men had been brought to us by a contractor and they owed himmoney. We had decided to pay them in a lump sum after they finished work on the site.'' Regarding the accusation of sexual harassment and molestation, Satinder Mohan said, ``The rape accusation must be due to a confusion of language. They did charge my driver of molestation and I beat him up for it in their presence. I did not know such things were going on. Now I will pay them the wages due to them.''

The SDM, Deepak Deshbandhu, had failed to accompany the labour inspector when the workers were freed. As soon as the workers were freed, witnesses at the spot related that Satinder Mohan Singh had said he was leaving to meet the SDM. Half an hour later as the freed labourers were heading back to Shahkot, the SDM and the local Station House Officer (SHO) Sucha Singh arrived at the spot.

The SDM denied that he had met the owner but refused to comment on why he had not accompanied the labour inspector.

At the SDM's office when the testimony of the labourers was being taken yesterday, Ajmer Singh, a relativeof Satinder, also reached the spot. The SDM then tried to prevent this correspondent from noting down Ajmer Singh's name. Shortly thereafter, the local DSP H S Brar reached the spot and asked this correspondent if it was possible to settle the matter if the bonded labourers were paid their wages

Earlier, one of the women told this correspondent, ``My husband was tied to a post and beaten up repeatedly in front of me after an attempt to escape. Then I was taken to an adjacent room and raped by the driver they call Pappu.'' Her's was not an isolated case. At least two other women reported similar events. All the women complained of repeated sexual molestation and harassment.

The condition of the tribals came to light two days ago after one of the workers, Somari, and her child died shortly after childbirth. The bodies were allegedly cremated without the police being informed of the mishap. However, Satinder Mohan Singh told this correspondent that the bodies were burnt after obtaining the consent of theworkers.

The residents of the nearby Rupwala village reportedly took away the tribals and put them up for the night. After a meeting of the panchayat with some representatives of Satinder, the labourers were forced to return to the construction site. Yesterday, Tarsem Peter, Punjab president of the Pendu Mazdoor Union, accompanied by Labour Inspector K P Chowdhary went and freed the workers.

Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.