HYDERABAD: Days after a few goldsmiths were thrashed in Ghansi Bazaar on allegations of theft, police and activists widely condemned the incident and highlighted the pitiable condition of migrant workers in Old City.
Laxmikanth, one of the stone fitting workers, who was also beaten along with others on July 21, told TOI that they were first thrashed mercilessly, forced to accept stealing the gold and were locked up in a dingy room. “I have been working for the last 5 years as a stone fitting worker. Some of us have not been paid for the last two years and during lockdown many were sent back with meagre amount and when we resumed work, the dues have not been cleared,” said Laxmikant. “On the basis of suspicion, not only me, but other workers were also beaten up black and blue in a locked room on charges of small amount of gold. But truth is we wanted our dues. Luckily, I managed to escape and rushed to the Charminar police station and registered a complaint,” said Laxmikanth. Many workers are brought to the Old City from the districts of West Bengal and are forced to carry out work on meagre pay without facilities in narrow rooms.
Parveen Sultan, MIM corporator of Ghansi Bazaar division, protested on Tuesday in Chelapura area and urged the police to take stern action against the accused employers. “We have received some videos which showed how the employees’ hands were tied to gas cylinders and how they were beaten up mercilessly. We came to know that workers were beaten up on suspicion of stealing gold but my question is, who are they to take the law in their hands to decide the punishment? Such an attitude with the employees in the Old City will not be tolerated at all,” said Parveen Sultana.
The labour department and child welfare departments were also urged to visit the Chelapura area to find out about the workers’ condition and rescue minor employees. There are at least 500 such establishments in the Old City where workers are put in dingy rooms to clean gold and prepare ornaments.
A case has been registered against accused persons and investigation is on. “We have registered a case and investigation is on,” said SHO Charminar, Guru Naidu.
