Ahmedabad: A case of bonded labour came to light in the commercial capital of Gujarat when a 19-year-old youth was rescued from an embroidery unit in Rakhial area of the city. He was kept chained at to his work table at the leg, shackled by a thick iron chain. Mohammad Nirale, was held captive to work and repay a Rs 20,000 debt taken by his brother-in-law.
Apart from the inhuman chaining of Nirale, the unit also employed three minor children, all between 10 and 13 years old. These children, brought from Muzaffarpur in Bihar, were made to work in inhuman conditions at the embroidery unit, confined to a small dingy room without proper ventilation.
Inspector B N Chavda of Rakhial police station who rescued Nirale - a native of Sitamarhi in Bihar - said the owner of the unit, Atif Shaikh, and his father Fasahatullah, would bring small children from Bihar promising them good pay. The father-son duo are absconding while Atif's younger brother Asif has been arrested.
"The three minor children rescued have been sheltered by the voluntary organisation Child Line. We have registered a case under the sections for confinement and have added Sections 79 and 87 of Juvenile Justice Act 2015, on the recommendations of the child protection unit. We will also sending a detailed report to the labour department shortly," added Chavda.
Nirale, an embroidery worker, told TOI that his brother-in-law Akram Shaikh who worked at Atif's unit had taken an advance of Rs 20,000 a few days ago and fled.
"To recover this amount, Atif called me to his unit on Thursday morning. The father and son beat me up mercilessly. They then chained my legs and told me to work till the amount was recovered," said Nirale, who was facing confinement for weeks if not for the police's rescue operation.
Nirale added that the three children who were brought from Bihar about six months ago were also not allowed to go leave the room and were made to work at least 10 to 12 hours a day.
"The children were exploited and given only Rs 50 to 100 per day, which is less than the average Rs 300 that an embroidery worker gets paid," said Nirale.
Atif's younger brother Asif, 19, who was arrested said he also works at the unit. "I don't know what my father and brother do. They are not at home. I was at the unit when the police came on Thursday night," added Atif.
Inspector Chavda said they had received a tip-off that a youth was being confined at the embroidery unit in Dhobi Chawl, Rakhial.
Chairperson of Gujarat State Commission for Protection of Child Rights Jagruti Pandya said they have sought a detailed report from Rakhial police and will take strict action against the factory owner.