Bonded labour in Old Goa

Call up Old Goa Police Station on its landline and lodge your protest: 0832-2285301

Entry into Goa: June 24, 2023

The couple Mahendra Shamba Solekar (Ramnagar) and Akshata Anandu Velip (Joida) from Ramnagar, Karnataka entered Goa 24th June 2023.

Man (Agent) named Uday Deshpande (from Belgaum?) With mobile number 7411275974 contacted wife Akshata Valip at home in Joida for job at Old Goa. 

Agent contacted through wife's cousin Deepa Unjekar.

Agent took wife from Panjim at 5.30 pm to Old Old directly while husband proceeded to Parcem, Pernem to reside.

Day Ordeal begins: June 25, 2023

Wife contacted husband at around 9.00 am on June 25, 2023 saying that it's time for her to join duty on shop. Then again she called up at 2.30 pm same day with normal conversation. Then she called up at 7.30 pm wife called husband crying pleading that she is terribly disturbed at work. Then she shared address on WhatsApp to husband on where she is kept captive.

8.00 pm husband called wife. Phone answered by Madhavi Pai (mobile number: 9309523479) is where wife is working calling husband to Old Goa police station.

Husband went to police station at 11.30 pm and waited till 01.00 pm. Investigating officer Loreen Dias, it was informed by police staff to husband that said PSI has finished her duty.

Aggrevating situation: June 26, 2023

Husband visited Old Goa Police Station at 10.00 am. Mobile proof of marriage rejected. Husband visited police station again at 01.00 pm. PSI Loreen Dias was present. She rejected original marriage certificate and wanted marriage witnesses to be present at the police station. Refused to arrange meeting with his wife claiming certificates are duplicate.

Address of the working shared by wife to husband at 4.44 pm on June 25, 2023 as :

Sardhina coop housing society, F1,F2, Corlim, Old Goa, Mollar, opposite lndian overseas Bank Old Goa.

Bharat Mukti Morcha (BMM), Goa Unit has received copy of the bonded labour complaint at Old Goa and currently studying the manner.

BMM calls upon Goa Police produce Akshata Velip to her husband Mahendra Sulekar.

BMM has contacted Old Goa Police Station Padwalkar and brought this matter to the attention to his attention.

Attempt to contact PSI Loreen Dias on phone has turned futile so far. Wife's phone number is switched off and where about of wife is not known so far. Husband continues to be in anguish more so because police has informed him that wife's mobile is in police custody. How can police take custody of wife's mobile phone? And where is Akshata? 

Ground for police intervention is not known nor anyone at police station is able to share.

Twelve Jharkhand Bonded labourers freed in Margao

Combine operation involving Video Volunteers, Bharat Mukti Morcha, Navelim Civic and Consumer Forum, South Goa Collector and Goa Police rescued 12 bonded labourers working for contractor engaged in gutter cleaning work of Margao Municipality. The picture is of 13th July 2013 in Margao taken after the bonded labourers attained freedom and bondages shattered. In the pictures are the laborers and people from above organizations who were part of the team working on this task. Collector directed the police to investigate the matter urgently. 

The labourers, all mulnivasis some of whom are ST and other OBC were all from Jharkand and were tricked into working for Margao Municipality on April 30, 2013 on contract basis with irregular payment. Irregular payment stopped completely from June 13, 2013 and they were paid at the Margao police station by contractor.

On June 25, 2013 these laborers were made to work for twenty-four hours in heavy rains, without any protection to hands and legs. Their mobiles and voter identity cards were confiscated by Contractor. They were subjected to physical violence too on number of occasions.

Bonded labour is outlawed and the contractor can face imprisonment up to 1 year jail term besides fine. It is also outlawed by the Indian Constitution.

Gutter cleaning work was traditionally done by SC people but Dr.Ambedkar has changed the lot of the SC people though courageous movement of freedoms.

Contractor were suggesting at the police station that hence forth he will employ ST from Goa - Gawdas to clean gutters of Margao. It is not sure as to why he came to this decision and why he did not think of employing Bamons to clean clean gutter of Margao. After all Margao has been electing Bamons as their MLAs all along for past 50 years. After all Saraswat Brahman Samaj was set in Margao in 1912 and changed its name to Gomant Vidya Niketan in 1962 after Liberation of Goa from Portuguese in 1961 as recorded by Goa's noted writer Ramnath Naik in his book in Marathi - 'मडगाव: काल - आज - उद्या ' 'Margao: Yesterday-Today-Tommorrow'. It is awful that Bamons have not succeeded in training their people to clean the gutters of Margao till date and labour has to be brought from tribes such as Oraon, Ho, Munda and Santhals besides OBC from Jharkhand. or may be their Manusmriti did prevent them from undertaking such an exciting venture. Manusmriti is fit only for burning so that Brahmins can be freed to take up the challenge of cleaning gutters of Margao.

Lets examine the list of bonded labourers, all from Jharkhand state of India were held captive by contractor who is a product of Bamani syustem of contract labour to loot labour : Anil Toppo is ST from Sindega taluka, Nikodim is ST from Khunti Taluka, Nicholas Vilung is ST, Pusa Dhanwar is ST from Gumla Taluka, Sahadev Ghosh is ST from Simdega taluka, Girdari Gop is ST from Gumla taluka, Tijhu Indwar is ST from Gumla taluka, Tilak Badaik is ST from Gumla taluka, Madan Badaik is ST from Simdega Taluka, Jathru Singh is OBC from Gumla taluka, Bharat Sahu is OBC from Gumla taluka and Navin Sahu is OBC from Gumla.

Something is terribly wrong with Goa. This wrong will be set right only when Goa's Bamon Raj is shattered to pieces.