10-year-old Bengal boy allegedly tortured by employer in Gujarat
The child’s father said he is an agricultural labourer with no fixed income and poverty forced him to send his second son to Gujarat
Kolkata: The family of a 10-year-old boy lodged a complaint in Bengal’s East Burdwan district on Monday alleging that the child was beaten up regularly over the past two years by his employer, a jewellery shop owner, in Gujarat’s Rajkot, police said.
The child, who returned home on Sunday with another employee of the shop, was admitted at a government hospital in the Kalna sub-division where the family lives in a village.
“A case has been registered on the basis of a complaint lodged by the family. We have started an investigation,” an officer from the Kalna police station told HT.
The child’s father said poverty forced him to send his second son to Gujarat.
“I am an agricultural labourer with no fixed income. I have three more children. Two years ago, a man from another village told me he can employ my son at a jewellery shop in Rajkot. He promised a salary of ₹3,500 a month. My son is saying he was beaten up everyday for not eating the food he was offered,” the father told the media.
“The shop owner used to call up once in two months to let our son talk to us. But our son never dared to say anything about his trauma in the presence of that man. We were shocked to see him bruised and wounded all over when another employee of the shop brought him back,” the boy’s mother said.
{{/usCountry}}“The shop owner used to call up once in two months to let our son talk to us. But our son never dared to say anything about his trauma in the presence of that man. We were shocked to see him bruised and wounded all over when another employee of the shop brought him back,” the boy’s mother said.
{{/usCountry}}Gautam Biswas, deputy superintendent of the hospital, said the child had multiple injuries and was detected with anaemia when he was admitted.
“He is traumatised as well. There are multiple injuries, especially on the back and the legs. He is being treated for anaemia,” the doctor told the media.
The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday afternoon.
“In PM @narendramodi’s double engine state Gujarat, child labour is not only perpetuated but also accompanied by dehumanising treatment! ...a young child from Kalna, was forced to work in a jewellery factory in Gujarat, where he was brutally assaulted, resulting in severe injuries and lasting trauma,” TMC wrote on X.
“In their contempt for Bengal, @BJP4India is openly condoning these heinous acts against our people. Smt. @MamataOfficial-led GoWB is taking all necessary measures to ensure his well-being and safety,” the post added.
There was no reaction from BJP leaders in West Bengal to TMC’s charges till Wednesday evening.
