Fifteen migrant workers from Belpada and Lathor in Bolangir district revealed harrowing accounts of torture and exploitation at a brick kiln in Nalgonda, Telangana.
They described how contractors trafficked them illegally, promising jobs and food, but subjected them to inhuman conditions. Male workers faced deadly assaults, while women and young girls endured sexual harassment. Families mortgaged land and gold ornaments to secure release from captivity.
Workers said they were forced to toil 15 to 18 hours daily for meagre wages. Brick kiln owners deployed armed goons to monitor them around the clock. Even illness did not spare them from work. Survivors alleged that women were stripped and humiliated in front of others, while mobile phones were confiscated to prevent communication.
The ordeal began when local contractor Keshab Majhi trafficked 18 villagers, including children, to Triple R Brick Kiln in Nalgonda. He allegedly pocketed lakhs of rupees from the kiln owner Harekrishna, leaving workers trapped. The kiln owner then provided only Rs 400 per family per week for food, sparking protests and brutal retaliation.
After seven months of abuse, workers alerted local panchayat leaders, who informed the district labour department. Survivors returned to Balangir penniless, recounting their trauma at the railway station. They demanded the immediate arrest of the contractor and kiln owner.
