Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (JD)
Kundapur, March 11: A shocking case of alleged bonded labour and caste-based discrimination has surfaced from Kabbailu in Kanyan village of Kundapur taluk.
The Kundapur Rural police have registered a case under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act after a 65-year-old tribal man claimed he was forced to work without wages for nearly three decades.
According to the complaint, the victim, Naga (65), son of Havali and a resident of Kabbailu Uliyara Mane in Kanyan village, belongs to the Koraga Scheduled Tribe community.
Around 30 years ago, he was reportedly brought to work by Subbanna Shetty, alias Shanappa Shetty, of Kabbailu, Hemmady. After Subbanna Shetty’s death, his daughter Rajani Shetty and her husband Karunakara Shetty allegedly continued employing Naga as a labourer.
The complaint states that Naga was forced to look after cattle, carry out farm work, clean cattle sheds and toilets, and perform various domestic chores. Despite working for decades, he was allegedly not paid proper wages and was denied basic facilities. It is also alleged that he was made to sleep in the cattle shed and keep his belongings, including clothes and utensils, there.
The victim further claimed that food was served to him on banana leaves inside the cattle shed, and that he was not allowed to leave the premises or seek work elsewhere. As he belongs to a Scheduled Tribe community, the complainant alleged that he was subjected to exploitation and caste-based atrocities.
Based on the complaint, the Kundapur Rural police station registered a case under Section 3(1)(h) of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 2015.
Following an investigation, Kundapur sub-division deputy superintendent of police H D Kulkarni arrested the accused, Rajani Shetty, a resident of Kabbailu Uliyara Mane in Kanyan village. She was produced before the court, which ordered judicial custody. She has been lodged in the Mangaluru District Prison.
Several officials visited the spot to inspect the situation, including the additional superintendent of police, Udupi district; the deputy director of the Social Welfare Department; the assistant director of Social Welfare, Kundapur; the labour officer and labour inspector; the deputy tahsildar; the village administrative officer; and officials of the Hattiyangadi Grama Panchayat.
Authorities also interacted with the victim and have initiated steps to provide him with rehabilitation and necessary support.