16 forced to work at brick kiln freed
A mobile court has fined a brick kiln in Baufal upazila Tk 25,000 for using firewood violating rule.
The Rab team, which accompanied the mobile court, also rescued 16 labourers on Wednesday from their confinement in the brickfield, Aruna Enterprise, said Rab sources.
Lt Commander Nuruzzaman of the Rab team said the workers were tortured and forced into working in the brickfield.
The mobile court headed by magistrate and upazial nirbahi officer of Baufal Mahmudur Rahman also had the company pay the arrears of the workers.
The workers are Amirul, 35, Taher, 32, Jamal, 28, Bakul, 25, Siddik, 36, Aynal, 29, Shahidul, 30, Eunus Ali, 33, Abdus Sattar, 34, Sabur, 26, Salim, 29, Nader, 30, Kanak, 30, Kamal, 35, Sujon, 28 and Abdul Latif, 36. They are from Kushtia and Rajbari districts.
A case was filed with Baufal Police Station in this regard.
At least 32 people took job in the brickfield owned by Sajal Kumar Howladar, a local Awami League leader at Sinerakathi village of Baufal, about four months ago on a contract of Tk 400 pay per day, said Nuruzzaman. But after a few days, the owner and his men denied paying the amount.
The Rab member said when the labourers wanted to give up their job, a group led by Bazlur Rahman, manager of the brick, forced them to continue work.
Amirul, one of the labourers, told this correspondent that for two and a half months, the workers were restricted to the field during the daytime and at night they were confined to a small room.
Rafiq Pramanik, one of the 32, after fleeing the place had made a complaint with the Rab unit, Nuruzzaman said. Then four to five Rab personnel in disguise took up the job in the field to investigate the matter.
Following their firsthand knowledge, they raided the brickfield and carried out the rescue operation.
Owner of the brickfield, however, said, “I hired the labourers through Kamal Sardar, a broker, and paid him Tk 3.80 lakh in advance for them. All allegations against me are false. Some enemies of mine must have given false information to Rab to harass me.”
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