Father, Son Booked After Tribal Family Alleges Assault, Forced Labour

A man and his son have been arrested for allegedly holding a tribal Katkari family from Raigad district as bonded labourers at a coal kiln in Nashik, police said on Wednesday.

The accused have been identified as Ramesh Mahadev Pawar, owner of the kiln at Bhaur in Deola taluka, and his son Krishna Pawar. The family, headed by Tulshiram Nathu Pawar, 42, from Jambhulpada in Raigad, had been working at the kiln, according to police.

An official said the family was allegedly subjected to abuse and strict restrictions on their movements while working at the kiln. The accused reportedly kept the family under surveillance and prevented them from leaving or seeking employment elsewhere.

Police said the family’s three minor children, aged 17, 15 and 13, were also allegedly forced to perform hard labour every day from 7 am to 7 pm.

The alleged abuse came to a head on August 23 when Ramesh Pawar, reportedly in an inebriated condition, confronted the family after suspecting that they were planning to leave and find work elsewhere. During the confrontation, Ramesh and Krishna allegedly assaulted Tulshiram’s son Somnath. They also allegedly slapped Somnath’s minor sisters when they tried to intervene, police said.

On August 30, Somnath contacted Sanjay Pawar, an activist with Shramjeevi Sanghatana, seeking help. A team of activists from Raigad and Nashik subsequently reached Bhaur on August 31 and rescued the family, bringing them to the Deola police station, said Vijay Jadhav, general secretary of the organisation.

Following the complaint, Deola Police on Tuesday registered a case against Ramesh and Krishna Pawar. Further investigation is underway, police said.