NHRC notice to Maharashtra govt over labourers being kept chained to dig wells

The NHRC has sent notices to the Maharashtra government and the states police chief over 11 labourers allegedly being kept chained in Osmanabad district by a contractor to dig wells and prevent them from escaping officials said on MondayThe National Human Rights Commission NHRC in a statement observed that the provisions of the Bonded Labour System Abolition Act have been grossly violated by the contractor in this caseThe incident clearly indicates the failure of the local administration to safeguard the labourers from such brutality committed upon them by the contractors without any fear of the law The officers who failed to do their lawful duty are required to be dealt with according to law the rights panel saidThe content of the media report if true amounts to a grave violation of the human rights of the labourers the commission saidThe NHRC has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that 11 labourers were kept chained by the contractor to dig wells and prevent them from escaping in the Osmanabad district of Maharashtra it said in the statement on MondayThe labourers were allegedly forced to work for 12 hours a day to dig a well without any wages They got food once a day and were forced to answer natures call inside the well itselfReportedly they were rescued on June 17 after one of them managed to sneak out reached his village in the states Hingoli district and informed the police about the torture the statement saidMere rescue by the police and arrest of some of the accused in this case is not going to serve the purpose the rights panel observedAccordingly it has issued notices to the states chief secretary and the director general of police seeking a detailed report within four weeksIt should also include the status of the investigation being conducted in the case action taken against the perpetrators and steps takenproposed to be taken to ensure that such incidents do not recur in future anywhere in the area the statement addedIt is necessary for the administration to start proceedings as per labour laws in the case to ensure the proper release of all the labourers and that relief and rehabilitation laid down under the Bonded Labour System Abolition Act is provided to the victims without any delay the rights body saidIt is also required on the part of the Osmanabad district magistrate to ensure strict compliance of the labour laws for the safety and security of the labourers working under contractors in the area it addedAccording to the June 21 media report the labourers were deployed by the contractors twothree months ago to dig a well in Khamaswadi and Wakharwadi villages under the Dhoki police station limits in OsmanabadReportedly the contractors were habitual in deploying these tactics while engaging labourers for threefour months in such torturous conditions that when released they preferred running away without asking for their wages to escape more tortureThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever