Sundargarh: After a migrant work was hurled acid by its employers, the district administration swung into action and rescued seven more labourers who were held captive at a brick kiln in Vizianagaram of neighbouring State Andhra Pradesh.
The labour department successfully rescued the migrant labourers and brought back here. Following the intervention of Odisha Labour department, the labourers were finally rescued and deported to Odisha.
Among seven, five are from Sundargarh district and two others are from Bargarh district.
Earlier, five labourers had managed to escape after the brick kiln owner allegedly threw acid on one of them and cut the finger of two labourers in Andhra.
According to reports, 12 labourers from Odisha had moved to Andhra and were engaged at Srisai Manikant brick kiln in Vizianagaram. They allegedly were not paid after working for two months. After they asked for their wage, the owner allegedly poured acid on one of them and chopped off the finger of another labourer.
The rescued labourers have also revealed that the owner had tortured them even more brutally after he had realized that some of his workers had escaped back home. The owner had even branded some of his workers with a hot iron and was also blackmailing them to give him money. Reportedly, a few persons from Burta village under Hemgir block of Sundargarh district had been lured by a contractor identified as Mahesh to work at a kiln in Vizianagaram of Andhra Pradesh.
Though five of them, including the acid attack victim, managed to escape and reach Sundargarh, seven were held captive by the kiln owner.
PNN