A shocking incident of brutality against a migrant worker has emerged in Nuapada district.
Authorities reported that a labourer was dragged off a train, electrocuted near a transformer, and then set ablaze with flammable liquid. The victim, 50-year-old Bidyadhar Majhi of Khaliabhata village under Khariar police limits, sustained 70 per cent burn injuries. He now fights for survival at Nuapada District Headquarters Hospital.
Earlier, Bidyadhar, his son Ajay Majhi, and several villagers had been working at a brick kiln in Allanam, Andhra Pradesh. Local broker Hitesh Kumar recruited them three months ago and placed them under the supervision of kiln owner A.R. Madhav. However, Bidyadhar attempted to return home secretly by boarding a train from Secunderabad to Visakhapatnam.
Consequently, the kiln owner dispatched his sardars and four youths to capture him. The group tracked Bidyadhar nearly 100 kilometres away at a railway station in Srikakulam. When Bidyadhar tried to flee, they dragged him to a nearby transformer, gave him electric shocks, and poured flammable oil over his body before setting him on fire.
Immediately after the attack, Railway Police rescued the victim in critical condition and admitted him to Srikakulam Government Hospital. Doctors advised advanced treatment. Nevertheless, his impoverished family could not afford to shift him to a larger facility. Therefore, they brought him to Nuapada District Headquarters Hospital, where he continues to struggle for life.
Meanwhile, local Congress leader Kamal Charan Tandi urged district authorities to provide immediate medical assistance. He also demanded strict action against the brick kiln owner and the broker involved in the trafficking.
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