Two labourers who were chained by coal mine operators in Surendranagar in Gujarat were rescued in the early hours of Monday and two persons have been arrested in this connection, a police official said.
The incident came to light after two labourers managed to escape from a coal mine situated near Khakhrali village in the night and alerted police about two others, Sub Inspector ZL Odedara of Thangadh police station said.
Mine owner Vanraj and his partner Allanur Kathat have been arrested under Indian Penal Code and SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for wrongful confinement, assault, criminal intimidation and other offences, Odedara said.
He said one of the labourers, Mukesh Rathod, belongs to a Scheduled Caste.
"Rathod, a resident of Jamnagar district, came to Rajkot in search of work a week ago but failed to find any. On September 26, an auto driver lured Rathod and three other labourers promising high pay and accommodation," he said.
"The auto driver then dropped these four men near Khakhrali, where they met Kathat. Next day, he took them to the coal mine of Vanraj where they were supposed to dig for coal," said Odedara.
Upon realising the remuneration of Rs 500 per day was very less for this work, which used to start at 7am and end only after sunset, these labourers, after working for one day, told Kathat they were leaving.
"However, Kathat did not let them go and forced them to dig a pit for four more days. To ensure they do not run away, Kathat used to tie them to his motorcycle using a metal chain during the night," the official said.
Two of the labourers who escaped on September 30 alerted police, which managed to rescue the remaining two labourers, he added.
Published 02 October 2023, 17:09 IST