Brick kiln owner booked for forcing tribals into bonded labour

Police have registered a case against a brick kiln owner and his supervisor for allegedly forcing a group of tribals into bonded labour at a village near Bhiwandi in the district, an official said on Saturday.

The accused were identified as Jolly Naik Seth and supervisor Madhukar Pawar, both from Anjur village in the district, the official said.

A tribal man from a hamlet in Wada taluka of neighbouring Palghar district had lodged a complaint against the duo at Narpoli police station in Thane district on Friday evening, after which the offence was registered.

The complainant said that after paying some advance amount, Naik took him and some other villagers, including women and children, to his brick kiln for work in November 2019.

The complaint further said that although they were made to carry out strenuous work for long hours, the wages paid to them were low. The owner also thrashed and abused the workers, it alleged.

Police registered the case against the duo under IPC section 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 and various sections of the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976.

No arrest has been made so far, the official said.