Jaipatna (Kalahandi): Unable to bear their employer’s ‘torture’ at Bengaluru, three migrant workers managed to hitchhike to their homes in Jamchuan village under Jaipatna block in Kalahandi district today.
The three migrant workers Bhikari Majhi, Kataru Majhi and Budu Majhi after being beaten by their employer’s men and denied wages for two months managed to escape from the employer’s premises on Sunday.
With no money in their pockets and no food, they boarded a train from Bengaluru and reached Visakhapatnam. From Visakhapatnam, they walked up to Pottangi in Koraput district.
At Pottangi some good samaritans and a driver taking pity on their plight provided them with food and arranged for their travel up to Semla and from there they walked home.
“We had gone to Bengaluru to work as labourers. We were beaten up by the employer’s men when we asked for our wages to send to our family here. They threatened to kill us and dump our bodies. We managed to escape under the cover of night,” said Bhikari Majhi narrating their ordeal.
Bhikari said that they came by train up to Visakhapatnam and from there they walked up to Pottangi.
At Pottangi a driver gave them food and arranged for their transportation up to Papadahandi by truck, he said adding that from Papadahandi a tractor driver gave them a lift up to Kotanga Semla and from there they walked for a night and reached their village.
Kataru Majhi, another migrant labourer said that two months back 10 of them had gone to Bengaluru for work and three out of them have managed to escape.
“We didn’t have a penny in our pockets. Survived by eating guavas and whatever we got on the way. We came by train up to Visakhapatnam and then walked up to Pottangi. At Pottangi a driver gave us food and arranged for our transportation in a truck up to Papadahandi in Nabarangpur and from there a tractor driver gave us a lift up to Semla,” said Kataru.
Jaipatna police have registered a case in this connection and are investigating the matter.
“Today Bhikari Majhi of Jamchuan alleged that they had gone to Bengaluru in January to work as migrant labourers. One Ramkrushna Pradhan of Balugan had taken them to Bengaluru. On March 24 they had an altercation over their wages and were beaten up. From Bengaluru they came to Vishakapatnam by train,” informed Basudeb Chhatriya, IIC Jaipatna police station.
Chhatriya said that a preliminary investigation has revealed that they came by foot from Visakhapatnam to Pottangi which is around 160 km and from there up to Semla by taking a lift on two vehicles.
“We have registered a case on the basis of the report and have started an investigation,” he added.
