Dalit man held captive over pending dues in Raj

ACCORDING TO THE VICTIM, 6 PEOPLE ABDUCTED HIM ON MAY 22 AND KEPT HIM CHAINED IN A CATTLE SHED TILL MAY 24

JAIPUR: A 35-year-old Dalit farm labourer was allegedly held captive in a cattle shed and tortured for 31 hours for not repaying a loan, in the Bundi district of Rajasthan, police said on Friday.

Deputy superintendent of police, Shankar Lal, said a complaint in this regard was lodged on May 24 and six people have been booked under sections 365 (kidnapping), 342 wrongful confinement), 343 (causing hurt), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the Indian Penal Code and the SC/ST Act. The absconding accused are farm owner, Paramjit Singh, his younger brother and four unidentified men.

According to the FIR lodged by Radheshyam Meghwal, the accused abducted him on May 22 from Bundi and kept him chained in a cattle shed till May 24.

“I was hired as hali (unofficial annual work contract) by Singh three years back for an annual wage of ₹70,000 and had also taken a loan of ₹30,000 for my sister’s marriage. I was hired as hali from May 2019 to April 2020 at ₹70,000. I worked 24x7 for six months at his farm due to which fell ill and left the work,” Meghwal said in his complaint.

Singh then started demanding ₹1,10,000, which included the interest on the loan. “I returned him ₹25,000 but he kept adding interest... In 2020, I gave him another ₹25,000...”

On May 22, Meghwal said: “I was taken to Singh’s house, chained, beaten and kept inside cattle shed for 31 hours.... My brother approached another landlord of the area, who gave an advance of ₹46,000 on the assurance that I will work as Hali at his farm. Later, I was freed.”