19 workers freed on 15-day confinement
A brickfield owner yesterday released 19 workers after keeping them in confinement for 15 days in a small dark house at Paindong in Fatikchhari upazila, Chittagong.
Sensing a drive by Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), Azizul Haque Chowdhury, owner of Aziz Modern Brickfield, freed the workers and instantly fled the area.
Sources said Azizul appointed the19 workers in his brickfield for six months on October 16 (Kartik 1) and promised to pay them Tk 15 lakh on contract.
But Aziz gave only Tk 9.80 lakh and kept them confined on April 26 as the contact period expired and the workers started claiming the overdue.
The labourers, including two child workers, were forced to work in the day and to stay in a small dark house in the night.
Sariful Islam, a confined worker, managed to escape the captivity on April 28 and informed Human Rights Foundation (HRF) of his fellows.
On information from HRF, a team of Rab-7 went to the brickfield at Paindong in Fatikchhari yesterday to raid it.
Maj Ashfaq, who led the team, said the workers left the brickfield before their drive.
"No one can confine any man," said Ashfaq. "Our drives will continue against such kind of violation of human rights."
Shariful filed a case accusing four persons including Azizul, the brickfield owner, its manager Alam and another two with Fatikchhari Police Station in this connection.
Contacted, the brickfield owner Azizul denied the allegation and said he made full payment to the workers.
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