Chennai, June 20 (BPNS)
The Tamil Nadu special police team is to conduct searches in all the brick kilns of Krishnagiri district after 10 bonded labourers from the Iruala community including children were released on Sunday after the intervention of an NGO.
The ten bonded labourers were released after the NGO, Rights Education and Development Centre (READ) based out of Erode petitioned the district collector of Krishnagiri.
The Irula tribe members hailing from Perunkaadu village near Marandahalli in Dharmapuri district of the state were kept as bonded labourers in the brick kiln.
A two year old child was electrocuted to death from the brick kiln in the first week of May which triggered the NGO to petition the district collector of Krishnagiri, Dr V. Jaya Chandra Bhanu Reddy and the District legal service authority.
It may be noted that a couple of weeks before seven people from the Irula community were rescued by voluntary workers and district administration from another brick kiln in Krishnagiri district.
Sources in the Tamil Nadu police told BPNS that a special police team would conduct searches in all the brick kilns of Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri and in districts of Erode and Salem to find out whether more people are working in these kilns under inhuman conditions and as bonded labourers. The bonded labourers in the brick kiln are paid a pittance and they will have to work under scorching sun with poor living conditions and only if the brick kiln owner decides will they be able to come out of their bondage.
Hosur RDO, V. Thenmozhi has given the release orders to the ten Irula’s who were rescued from the brick kiln. The compensation amount to them will also be soon paid including to that of the two-year-old child who was electrocuted to death.
The movie ‘Jai Bhim’ of Tamil Superstar, Suriya depicted the inhuman and torturous life of the Irula tribes which was an eye-opener to the poor living situation of the members of the community and how the policemen instead of providing them justice were in fact doing the opposite.
