Thane: 11 labourers rescued by activists from captivity in Bhiwandi

Tribal activists have rescued a total of 11 bonded labourers including nine women along with their dozen minor children from a brick kiln in Chimbipada Bhiwandi All of them were living in deplorable conditions in their huts These victims belong to primitive tribes from various talukas in Thane and Palghar districts Some of these labourers had been enslaved at the brick kiln for the past 10 years without receiving any daily wages while others were paid R600 a week for working 10 to 12 hours a day at Siddhik Hussain Shaikhrsquos heavily polluted brick kiln factoryTribal leader Vivek Pandit with the bonded labourers and their children PicHanif PatelThe tribal activists suspect that nearly four tribal families are still being held captive by Shaikh at undisclosed locations after the recent crackdown ldquoAfter rescuing them from deplorable conditions at the brick kiln factory we have brought these poor tribals to our facility where doctors are checking their health conditions Out of the 11 bonded labourers nine are women and nearly a dozen are children between two and eight years old The adult women are facing nutritional deficiencies while their minor children are believed to be suffering from malnutrition although their specific conditions SAMMAM are yet to be determinedrdquo said tribal leader Vivek Pandit who led the raid at the brick manufacturing plant Immediately after their rescue copies of the release certificates issued by Adhik Patil the tahsildar of Bhiwandi Taluka are available with middaymidday spoke to several victims who recounted their ordeals expressing that they were forced to work at the brick kiln factory even when unwell ldquoI wasnrsquot allowed to go home Shaikh had held me captive for the last 10 years I worked at his brick kiln factory but wasnrsquot paid He only provided me with some food for survival During the offseason like the monsoon I was forced to work in the fields herding goats cutting grass and doing household work But I was never allowed to return home to Dahanurdquo said Manju Laxman SawarTribal leader Vivek Pandit is holding a child in his lap immediately after rescuing them in Bhiwandi PicHanif PatelAnother victim Manisha Sawar said ldquoShaikh would wake me up in the early hours to load bricks into the vehicle It was a difficult time we endured for years Now we feel relaxed as wersquove been removed from a place where we never felt comfortable Here we get to eat good foodrdquo ldquoHe must be arrested and severely punishedrdquo she addedManisha had taken a small advance from Shaikh a few years ago ldquoAfter receiving some cash from Shaikh Manisha had promised that her soninlaw would work at the brick kiln but he didnrsquot show up So Shaikh went to his house in search of her soninlaw When Shaikh didnrsquot find him at home he compelled another daughter of Manisha to work at his brick kiln factory in exchange for the advance she Manisha had takenrdquo Pandit explainedldquoThis incident occurred in Jawhar around 15 days ago and I was searching for the brick kiln where Manisha and her daughter were held captive On Tuesday morning I received credible information about the brick kiln factory in Bhiwandi and conducted a raid with my team leading to the discovery of these bonded labourersrdquo said PanditSources told midday that while government records cite around 250 legitimate brick kiln factories in Bhiwandi there are more than 400 Balaram Bhoir general secretary of Shramjeevi Sangathana an NGO fighting for tribal rights urged government officials to conduct multiple raids to rescue bonded labourersMedical officer is checking the health condition of a rescued bonded labour PicHanif PatelldquoIf the labour department officials had efficiently visited these brick kiln factories in Bhiwandi many labourers could have been rescued But it is doing nothing to ensure fair wages for the workers at these facilities Whatrsquos preventing them from visiting these placesrdquo wondered PanditldquoThese bonded labourers do not possess Aadhaar cards Yet the government claims that all tribal schemes are properly executed These cases expose the gaping holes in the governmentrsquos claims that all tribal children attend school Who is responsible for snatching the Right to Education RTE of these children Why were their childhoods and food rights taken awayrdquo asked PanditldquoWe have also rescued the children of these bonded labourers in a daring operation All these children aged two to eight years old are 100 per cent illiterate Their Right to Education RTE has been violated as they have never attended school to date Moreover their health conditions are deplorablerdquo added BhoirAfter rescuing these bonded labourers and their minor children they were taken to Usgaon in Vasai taluka where Pandit arranged basic facilities such as food water shelter and clothing for them Government officials from different talukas including Vasai Dahanu Jawhar and Bhiwandi rushed to the facility where doctors checked their health conditionsA team from Ganeshpuri police also arrived at the facility to record statements from the rescued tribals Deputy SP Prashant Dhole confirmed ldquoWe have registered an FIR The accused has not been arrested yet Our teams are working to track down his location and he will be arrested soonrdquoldquoA few months ago a victim had filed a case under the BLSA Act and Atrocities Act against Shaikh at the same police station and he was arrested There have been multiple cases registered against Shaikh in the pastrdquo added Dhole Sources within the police department informed midday that the authorities have started the process to extern Shaikh from the areaWith the escalating cases of bonded labour in Maharashtra midday conducted a weeklong lsquoEnd Slavery in the Statersquo campaign highlighting numerous loopholes in the political and administrative approaches to eradicate this issue This campaign was discussed during the recently concluded Winter Session of the Legislative Council where members raised concerns and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis addressed the issue However there appears to be no tangible change on the ground11No of bonded labourers rescued