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Its one more story of freedom from slavery 95 members of Sahariya Tribals in Central India of Guna, Gwalior and Shivpuri belt were set free from the clutches of unscrupulous stone quarry owner Devi Singh and his musclemen on 8-9 July 2002. For the last more than 10-12 years, all these men, women and children were subjected to the most inhuman exploitation. They were forced to do the most back breaking work of stone mining in very inhospitable conditions. Against the work done usually from sunrise to sunset, they were paid a pittance wage of Rs. 60 for a whole family of two or three persons per day (approx US $1.20) and that too never in cash but in the form of a slip of paper which would entitle them to some wheat flour, salt and a few very essentials. They survived all the drudgery but what was most intolerable was the sexual exploitation of their young women by the contractor and his henchmen. Regular, beating, humiliating, abusing and raping had reduced these hapless people into a most hopeless situation.
In sheer desperation, two of the victims escaped in the darkness of night and after a harrowing journey reached the Residence - cum office of Swami Agnivesh at 7 Jantar Mantar Road, New Delhi. At 6 in the morning, Swami Agnivesh was a little surprised to find two tribal young men, with terror writ large on their faces, with tears in their eyes, hair over grom & dishervlled, eager to tall their tab of woe. After preliminary enquiry Swami Agnivesh decided to intervene. He got in touch with the District Magistrate - Gwalior Mr. Washim Akhtar on phone who in trun directed his Sub-Divisional Magistrat Mr. Atul Singh to raid the stone quarry being illegally operated about 12 kilometers on forest land. It was a coincidence that Swami Agnivesh's colleague and social activist Mr. J.P. Katare was in Gwalior on that day. Mr. Katare contacted his student life friend and editor of a powerful Hindi daily newspaper Navbharat Mr. Rakesh Pathak. Next day morning, the two tribal young men Mr. Siddharth & Mr. Battanlal accompanied by the local administration, & police and press and NGOs all arrived at the site to liberate 100 odd victims of modem day slavery. While the quarry owner Mr. Devi Singh absconded, the bonded labourers came out to narrate their suffering and exploitation. Under the Bonded Labour System Abolition Act 1976, the SDM after collecting prima facie evidence, ordered their release and improvised some transport to carry them safely to the District head quarters of Gwalior. The timely intervention saved nearly eight lives of children who, due to several days of starvation & unbearable heat, were fighting for life. They were immediately hospitalized, put on Glucose, the pregnant women were attended to and with food, clothing, medical care, police security provided, the victims breathed the air of freedom. After recording detailed evidence of 10 to 15 years of bondage, several exploitation and inhuman treatment eachone of them were given a Release Certificate which assured them a package of Rehabilitation with land for cultivation, housing and other income generating assets worth Rs. 20,000 each.
Swami Agnivesh and dedicated band of social activists of Bandhua Mukti Morcha (BMM) thanked the District Administration and the entire media persons for their unstinted cooperation and said that since 90% of the Sahariya tribals are in one way or the other victims of landlessness, illiteracy, acute poverty, destitution and bonded labour system, we should together launch a sustained programme for the overall empowerment of the Sahariya Community. Some of the released bonded labourers, young men & women themselves should be equipped with training for the social - economic spiritual regeneration of their community. A two day workshop has been planned around the next Independence Day 15 Aug. 2002. All the bonded labourers after being free, experssed a desire to settle near their native place called Isagarh in Guna District. They were safely transported to Ambedkar Mangal Bhavan in Guna where the young dynamic District Magistrate Ms. Neelam Rao has taken Charge of their rehabilitation. In the meantime, the Gwalior administration has filed criminal case against the owner-employer and his hench men under various Acts.
Umesh Singh, Gwalior, July 10 ASK THE 89 bonded labourers about the joy and importance of freedom. They were freed yesterday thanks to the initiative of Swami Agnivesh in village Chonda under Panihar police station of district Gwalior. For almost ten years, the bonded labourers, including children, spent life under the reign of terror of contractor Devi Singh and his associates. The contractors subjected them to exploitation, molestation and all sorts of inhuman treatment. "We had a sound sleep last night and the bright sun this morning is making us realize the end of the slavery era", said Batan Lal and Siddha. This correspondent accompanied Bandhua Mukti Morcha national president Swami Agnivesh to the Morar Hospital to listen the prolonged ordeal of these labourers. They are undergoing medical checkup in the hospital. It has been a sort of feast day for them with elaborate arrangements for bath, shave, haircut, nutritious food packets and new vests provided by the administration. A thorough medical checkup and preparation of caste certificates were underway in the hospital campus itself. The ADM, SDM and other senior police officials were present in the hospital. There was jubilation among the liberated labourers. Children bathed merrily under the water tanks of PHED. As soon as Agnivesh entered the hospital premises, the labourers could not refrain themselves from touching his feet as mark of respect. For them he is like a god, as no one else could have dared to penetrate the invincible fortress of Devi Singh. Bhagwati, Komal and his wife of Mauranipur in district Chhatarpur stated that they had been working in the stone mines in Panihar (destrict Gwalior) for the last ten years. Devi Singh had brought them with assurance of paying Rs. 100 per person per day. But he paid them a coupan of Rs. 60 and never made payment in cash. Through that slip, they used to buy ration from a particular shop in that area. In case of an accident or minor injury, hefty sum of money was deducted from their wages in the name of treatment, said Komal. The women labourers were also compelled to share bed with him. They were made to work from morning till late in the evening. Additional Superintendent of Police R.P. Singh and SDOP Vijay Khatri said that the female labourers in their statement have alleged rape and molestation by Devi Singh. However, the police were investigating other aspects of the episode also to bring the culprits to the book, said Khatri. Agnivesh urged the administration to eliminate the evil from the society. He stated that in Gwalior and Shivpuri region about 4000 to 5000 bonded labourers were being exploited and deployed in various stone mines by influential contractors. He said he was organizing a mass movement to pressurize the administration to get rid of the social evil. He termed the Gwalior administration as sensitive and hoped for appropriate action. Four days back, Batan Lal and Siddha somehow managed to reach Agnivesh's Delhi office at 7, Jantar Mantar Road. They narrated the entire episode to him. He immediately got down to work. As a result, he was able to release the 89 bonded labourers within a short span of time. |
