Six migrant workers rescued from Karnataka after Soren’s intervention

Ranchi: Six women migrant workers hailing from Jharkhand were rescued from Karnataka where they were held captive in an apparel unit, the state government said on Thursday.

The migrant workers from East Singhbhum district were forced by a contractor to work for 18 hours a day and abused and beaten up on occasions for refusing to work long hours without proper food.

“After undergoing training at Skill Development Centre, Dimna, the women had gone to work at an apparel unit in Bengaluru where they were forced to work under inhuman conditions…They were not allowed to return and were held hostage,” a statement issued by the state government said.

When the matter was brought to the knowledge of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, he directed officials to ensure the safe return of the migrant workers, the statement said.

The development comes close on the heels of the state government rescuing five workers of Gumla held hostage in Karnataka’s Hospet this month and 16 migrant workers from the eastern state who were allegedly held captive at an island in Andhra Pradesh for fish farming last month.

Earlier, the Jharkhand government had rescued 32 migrant workers and their five children, residents of the Santhal Parganas region, from Kerala where they were forced to work at a tea garden under adverse conditions.

In another instance, tribal migrant workers and their children who were made to live like bonded labourers at a brick kiln in Uttar Pradesh were brought back by the state government.