Rapid Action Battalion (Rab-8) on Tuesday rescued 10 labourers and their 9 children from a brickfield in Kalapara upazila the district.

They were confined to the brickfield and engaged in work against their will.

Rab also arrested Jahangir, 40, manager and Promoth, 35, caretaker of the brickfield for alleged involvement in keeping the labourers at the kiln forcibly.

The rescued labours are Hasina, 25, Asma, 24, Selina, 24, Saleha, 22, Shabana, 20, Aklima, 20, Delwar Hossain, 45, Rezaul Gazi, 40, Khall, 35, Zakir Hossain, 30, Sumaiya, 6, Rikta, 7, Nahid, 8, Zakir, 8, Nishan, 9, Raju, 9, Nasima, 10, Sonia, 10 and Borhan, 11.

They all hailed from Vandarpara village under Dumuria upazila in Khulna.

Md. Nurauzzaman, Company Commander for Rab-8, said, “On a tip off, we raided the brickfield at Nishanbaria village owned by one Nurul Haque Munshi and rescued the hapless labourers and their children from forced labour.”

Shabana, a victim, said, “We joined work at the brickfield six to seven months ago. After a few days our sarder (labour leader) and some labourers fled as the owner did not pay them regularly. The owner's men then confined us, harassed us and continued to force us to work without payment.”

Contacted, Nurul Haque Munshi, owner of the brickfield however said, “My men didn't torture the labourers. My enemies gave wrong information to Rab.”
- By Balayet Ullah