Nine Irulars rescued from brick kiln near Ambur

Nine persons of Irular tribal community were rescued from a brick kiln at Bairampalli village near Ambur town in Tirupattur on Wednesday.

Revenue officials said that rescued persons include three women and three children. Rescued persons were identified as P. Valli, 40, V. Rajammal, 65, B. Kalaiselvi, 22, P. Sathish, 16, and S. Palani, 43. The children are aged between two and three years.

All rescued persons belong to Konnapalli hamlet of Karapattu village panchayat near Ambur town. “On being informed, we conducted searches in the brick kiln where we found the families, who have been working there for over a decade,” C. Revathy, Tahsildar (Ambur), told The Hindu.

Initial inquiry revealed that the brick kiln belongs to R. Chinna Kannan, a local who is absconding. He had paid an advance of ₹15,000 for the group led by Palani a decade ago. Since then, the families have been engaged in work at the brick kiln.

Revenue officials said that the rescued families were forced to stay in small huts without proper access to drinking water and no toilet facility. They were reportedly made to work for more than 15 hours a day.

The rescued workers told revenue officials that the person in-charge and his men would beat them up if they stood in the shade or even drank water. They were reportedly subjected to physical abuse and long working hours.

Based on information to J. Nagalakshmi, secretary, District Legal Services Authority (Tirupattur), a special team led by R. Thanikachalam, Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO), Vaniyambadi, conducted a surprise check and observed violations of labour rules. 

Revenue officials said that rescued families were provided with release certificates signed by Mr. Thanikachalam. The release certificate enables the workers to receive financial aid and access government schemes meant for bonded labourers. Efforts will be taken to prevent the rescued boys and their families from falling into the trap again, officials said.