Maharashtra: 26 bonded labourers freed from charcoal-making unit in Pune

Twentysix bonded labourers along with their family members totalling 48 people have been rescued from a charcoalmaking unit in Maharashtras Pune district an official said on Friday PTI reportedActing on the complaint of all the victims from Raigad district police booked one accused Sayaji Bandalkar who allegedly subjected them to forced labour the official saidAs per PTI Bandalkar allegedly forced the men to bring wood from the jungle for the charcoal unit at Girvi village in Punes Indapur tehsil while women and children were held captive at the site and often made to work in farmsAfter learning about the bonded labourers situation the nonprofit Shramajeevi Sanghatana worked with the authorities and ensured the rescue of the 26 bonded labourers along with their family members altogether 48 individualsBandalkar has been booked under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Bonded Labour System Abolition ActAccording to PTI Indapur tehsildar has issued documents to the labourers freeing them from their bonded status the official addedJalgaon train accident Many victims were Nepalese labourers security guardsA number of passengers who died in the Pushpak Express accident were either working as labourers at construction sites or working as security guards and house helps in and around MumbaiA few passengers of the LucknowMumbai Pushpak Express who got off the train after an alarm chainpulling incident were run over by the Karnataka Express heading from Bengaluru to Delhi on the adjacent track in Maharashtras Jalgaon district on Wednesday evening Thirteen have been declared dead and 15 injuredRadha Bhandari daughterinlaw of deceased Kamla Navin Bhandari 43 who worked at Colaba said ldquoWe were coming to Mumbai to join work but now there is no hope left We have received the cheque and compensation money from the railways and have been asked to submit bank details But money cannot compensate for the loss of life We are originally from a village in Nepal and are now going back thererdquoRamrang Pasi companion of deceased Lacchiram Khatru Pasi also from Nepal said ldquoI was accompanying him and the only close one travelling with him Lacchiram used to work at Mumbra at a construction site and we were on the way there when this unfortunate incident happenedrdquoRaju Vishwakarma who lost two of his family membersmdashhis motherinlaw Javakala Bhate Jaykadi 60 and Himu Nandram Vishwakarma 11mdashwas devastated ldquoWe have received money from the government but what do we do with it We were coming back to Mumbai from Lucknow as I work as a security guard at Bhiwandi Our family belongs to Koshi Province in NepalrdquoWith PTI inputs