20 Odia labourers held captive in Andhra, cry for help on social media

Berhampur: Unearthing the plight of migrant Odia labourers working in other states, as many as 20 persons from Sanakhemundi area in Ganjam district have been held captive by their employer in the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and are being subjected to inhumane torture.

The incident came to fore after the victim labourers secretly filmed a video on their condition and posted it on social media sites recently, appealing the Odisha Government for their rescue.

In the video, which had gone viral, the victims could be seen informing that, they were lured by one ‘Punna Balaji’ company of Andhra Pradesh and engaged in Neno Electronic Company in Hyderabad a few days back, with a promise of good salary. While 2 months have already gone since their joining of the company, they are yet to be paid any remuneration. More, shockingly the employer is subjecting them to inhumane torture if they ask for salary and has denied food for last two days, they claimed.

The families of the victims swung into action soon after the surfacing of the video and appealed Odisha Government to take immediate step for their rescue.

Notably, on December 22, Odisha Labour Department officials had rescued at least seven migrant labourers from Vizianagaram area of Andhra Pradesh. The rescued labourers comprising five from Hemgiri block of Sundergarh district and two from Bargarh were working in a brick kiln. Their plight came to fore after four of his colleagues escaped to Odisha on December 18 following an acid attack by the employer.