Pratapgarh (Rajasthan)

Rajasthan Police's Pratapgarh District Police conducted Operation Vishwas, rescuing 53 tribal labourers, including 13 women and 40 men, held captive in Solapur, Maharashtra.

Pratapgarh Superintendent of Police, B Aditya, exposed the conspiracy of bonded labourers and human trafficking in Maharashtra in a late-night press conference on Friday, adding that a case has been registered.

"In a large and sensitive operation, Vishwas, 53 tribal labourers of the district (13 women and 40 men) held hostage in the Sholapur district of Maharashtra, have been safely rescued and brought to Pratapgarh," SP informed.

He further exposed the harsh reality of bonded labour in which tribal labourers from Indore, Madhya Pradesh, were set out with dreams of better wages, but were made bonded labourers in Maharashtra.

"Tribal men and women from Ghantali, Peepalkhunt, and Parsola police station areas, including villages like Varda, Jamli, Malia, Gothda, Umaria Pada, Bada Kali Ghati, Thesla, Kumari, and others, were lured by brokers with the temptation of good wages, free food, and living facilities in Indore. About two months ago, they were taken to Jabud village located in the Akluj police station area of Sholapur district, Maharashtra, where they were forcibly put to work in sugarcane fields under different landlords..," SP Aditya exposed in the press conference.

The labourers were lured with false employment promises and forced into sugarcane fields, facing abuse and unpaid wages.

After receiving the information, the police promptly took action on the instructions of the District Superintendent of Police and under the guidance of Additional Superintendent of Police Gajendra Singh Jodha. A special police team led by Sub-Inspector Sohanlal of Ghantali police station was immediately dispatched to Maharashtra.

"On the 22nd, we received a complaint; the TSP team is also present with us. They had presented an application before me stating that some people from the Ghantali, Parsola, and Peepalkhunt police station areas are stuck in Maharashtra in the name of jobs. So, on the basis of this complaint, we formed a team under the leadership of a Sub-Inspector, Sohanlal, and sent them there, and there it was verified that more than 50 people were working there in sugarcane fields in Sholapur district, and they were kept there as hostages. Based on this input, Sohanlal's team made every effort and rescued about 53 people from the area. We named this rescue operation Vishwas," SP stated.

Brokers Sitaram Patil and Khan allegedly received lakhs from landlords, leaving workers unpaid. A case is registered at Ghantali Police Station, with further legal action underway.

"Sitaram Patil from Maharashtra and a broker named Khan, a resident of Alwar, Rajasthan, were involved. These brokers collected lakhs of rupees in advance from landlords under the guise of labour, but not a single rupee was paid to the labourers. Upon asking for wages, the labourers were beaten, women were treated indecently, and they were kept hostage in farmhouses and enclosures," he added.

The SP narrated the poor condition of the labourers at the time of rescue and informed that the process of sending them safely to their villages is underway.

"The labourers had neither food arrangements nor money for the return fare. In this situation, the police team safely escorted all the labourers to Pratapgarh. Currently, the process of sending all rescued labourers safely to their villages is underway." SP B Aditya said.

A labourer, Ganesh, freed in Operation Vishwas, thanked the police for freeing them and informed how he and 12 others were unknowingly brought to Maharashtra and made to work in extremely poor conditions.

"They promised Rs 1000 and brought us to Maharashtra, without our knowledge. We used to cut sugarcane. We weren't allowed to leave; those who tried were beaten violently. We did not even receive our wages, and the working hours were never fixed. We worked till 11 PM on some days," the labourer told ANI.

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Another labourer, Richa, stated that several people used to beat them at night, and they were made to work for free.

"We used to work since seven in the morning and would be fed at 1 o'clock. 15-18 people used to bring sticks and beat us at night. We cut sugarcane, but they never paid us. We haven't even received Rs 10 to date," Richa said.