Shocking Report: Wombs Of 843 Sugarcane Labourers Forcibly Removed In Maharashtra's Beed

Last Updated:June 02, 2025, 14:26 IST

Hundreds of female sugarcane workers in Beed underwent hysterectomies before the 2024 harvest season, raising concerns about medical necessity and informed consent

In a deeply disturbing case of exploitation and medical neglect reported from Maharashtra's Beed district, hundreds of female sugarcane workers allegedly underwent hysterectomies in late 2024 before migrating for seasonal agricultural labour. According to an official health department report prepared following routine checkups of migrant sugarcane workers, 843 women had their uteruses surgically removed before departing for sugarcane harvesting work during the Diwali migration in 2024. Alarmingly, 477 of these women were between the ages of 30 and 35. The surgeries, often performed in private clinics, raise troubling questions about informed consent and medical necessity. Of the total procedures, 279 were conducted in private facilities, though health officials claim they were carried out with the requisite permissions from government doctors. However, the sheer scale of these surgeries, and the relatively young age of many of the women involved, has fuelled suspicions that the procedures are being used as a means to avoid menstruation and pregnancy during the backbreaking months of manual labour. Beed sends approximately 1.75 lakh workers, including thousands of women, to other states every year for sugarcane cutting, a task marked by long hours, harsh weather, and physical toil. Health screenings conducted before and after this migration period uncovered widespread health challenges among the women. According to the report, 3,415 women were found to be suffering from anemia caused by iron, B12, and folic acid deficiencies, as well as conditions like thalassemia and chronic blood loss from menstruation or surgery. Of these, 73 were diagnosed with severe anemia and have since received treatment. Perhaps even more distressing, the report documents that 1,523 women in the district were found to be working in sugarcane fields while pregnant. Armed with sickles in hand and bearing the weight of unborn children, these women were reported to be enduring grueling conditions with no respite. All of them have since been registered on the government’s Maternal and Child Care portal, which aims to track and support their health, but the gesture comes far too late for many. Officials from the Maternal and Child Care department attributed the high number of hysterectomies to chronic symptoms like excessive menstrual bleeding, bacterial infections, and persistent abdominal pain. Yet health activists argue that these symptoms are often manageable through less invasive treatments and that the surgeries may reflect deeper socio-economic pressures - where women, often at the mercy of contractors, feel compelled to eliminate any obstacles to uninterrupted labour. This is not the first time Beed district has drawn attention for reports of rampant hysterectomies among rural labourers. The new data renews calls for regulatory oversight, better health infrastructure, and stronger protections for female workers in the informal labour sector. (PTI Photo)

In a deeply disturbing case of exploitation and medical neglect reported from Maharashtra’s Beed district, hundreds of female sugarcane workers allegedly underwent hysterectomies in late 2024 before migrating for seasonal agricultural labour.

According to an official health department report prepared following routine checkups of migrant sugarcane workers, 843 women had their uteruses surgically removed before departing for sugarcane harvesting work during the Diwali migration in 2024. Alarmingly, 477 of these women were between the ages of 30 and 35.

The surgeries, often performed in private clinics, raise troubling questions about informed consent and medical necessity. Of the total procedures, 279 were conducted in private facilities, though health officials claim they were carried out with the requisite permissions from government doctors.

However, the sheer scale of these surgeries, and the relatively young age of many of the women involved, has fuelled suspicions that the procedures are being used as a means to avoid menstruation and pregnancy during the backbreaking months of manual labour.

Beed sends approximately 1.75 lakh workers, including thousands of women, to other states every year for sugarcane cutting, a task marked by long hours, harsh weather, and physical toil. Health screenings conducted before and after this migration period uncovered widespread health challenges among the women.

According to the report, 3,415 women were found to be suffering from anemia caused by iron, B12, and folic acid deficiencies, as well as conditions like thalassemia and chronic blood loss from menstruation or surgery. Of these, 73 were diagnosed with severe anemia and have since received treatment.

Perhaps even more distressing, the report documents that 1,523 women in the district were found to be working in sugarcane fields while pregnant. Armed with sickles in hand and bearing the weight of unborn children, these women were reported to be enduring grueling conditions with no respite. All of them have since been registered on the government’s Maternal and Child Care portal, which aims to track and support their health, but the gesture comes far too late for many.

Officials from the Maternal and Child Care department attributed the high number of hysterectomies to chronic symptoms like excessive menstrual bleeding, bacterial infections, and persistent abdominal pain. Yet health activists argue that these symptoms are often manageable through less invasive treatments and that the surgeries may reflect deeper socio-economic pressures – where women, often at the mercy of contractors, feel compelled to eliminate any obstacles to uninterrupted labour.

This is not the first time Beed district has drawn attention for reports of rampant hysterectomies among rural labourers. The new data renews calls for regulatory oversight, better health infrastructure, and stronger protections for female workers in the informal labour sector.

Location :

Maharashtra, India, India

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