60 Jharkhand workers flee Tamil Nadu mill, allege they were held hostage, abused

A group of around 60 workers from Jharkhand who claim they were held captive inside a textile mill in Tamil Nadu have returned home, alleging abuse, unpaid wages and no assistance from authorities during their ordeal.

The workers reached Chakradharpur on Saturday after travelling in the Ernakulam–Tata Express, recounting a journey marked by hardship and distress.

The workers alleged that they were kept confined at a textile unit in Namakkal and not allowed to leave freely.

“They did not pay our wages when we tried to leave, we were beaten and stopped,” one of the workers said.

According to their account, the gates of the mill were locked and labourers were forced to continue working under threat.

They also claimed that poor-quality food was served and protests were met with violence.

ESCAPE AND DIFFICULT JOURNEY

The workers said they managed to escape and board a train using whatever money they had left, even paying fines to travel without proper tickets.

“We somehow paid the TTE and got into the train. We had no money left, we were hungry and exhausted,” a worker said.

They alleged that they faced ill-treatment during the journey, including from railway staff and later at the station.

‘NO HELP FROM JHARKHAND GOVERNMENT’

The returning workers expressed anger over the lack of support from the Jharkhand government.

“We did not get any help we were on our own,” they said, adding that many workers were still inside the mill.

Their claims have raised serious concerns over the conditions faced by migrant labourers outside the state.

ALLEGATIONS AGAINST AGENTS

The workers said they were taken to Tamil Nadu by agents from Odisha who had promised good wages, food and living conditions.

Instead, they claimed, they were subjected to exploitation and violence.

They also alleged that they were threatened with consequences after returning home.

CM ORDERS PROBE

Following the developments, Chief Minister Hemant Soren has directed the Chaibasa Deputy Commissioner to look into the matter.

Officials are expected to verify the claims and take further action.

- Ends

With inputs from Satyajit