Jaswinder Singh @ Kundan S/o Gurjant Singh @ Janta, Age-34 years is from village- Jai Singh wala, tehsil & District- Bathinda. He belongs to Majhabi Sikh caste which is declared as a scheduled caste by the state of Punjab. From last five years, he is working as a “Siri” (bonded labourer) with the different employers. Now he is working with Mandeep Singh S/o Mohinder Singh from village- Jai Singh wala, tehsil & District- Bathinda who belongs to caste “Jatt Sikh” (upper caste).

When he (Jaswinder singh) started to work for Mandeep Singh, he was given Rs. 15000 (Fifteen thousand rupees) as an advance amount and Mandeep Singh promised him that he will gave him Rs.41,000 (Forty one thousand rupees) as his annual wages for the first year. The advance money which was given to Jaswinder Singh, he used to repay the bonded debt of his previous employer who took work from him continuously for three years and never paid his wages and when he desire to leave his work then he imposed a amount of Rs.10,000 (ten thousand rupees) on him as an bonded debt. Then to repay the bonded debt of his previous employer Jaswinder Singh was helpless to work for Mandeep Singh.

Now he is working as a bonded labourer under the employer (Mandeep Singh). He is working for day and night and the employer never allow him to go to his home even his house is in the same village where he is working but the employer hardly allow him to go after two or three days only for one night. Whenever he stayed more time then the employer comes to his house and abused him and forcibly brings him to work. The employer never paid his earns wages even not any overtime or weekly rest. Whenever he demands his wages he gave him only Rs.100 or Rs.50 after ten or fifteen days. His father and brother are working outside they are managing the household needs. When Jaswinder Singh worked for one year for the employer, he demands his wages but the employer do not paid his wages but impose a bonded debt amount of Rs.8000/- on him so that he could extract bonded labour from him and in the second year he again gave him Rs.17,000 as an advance amount and again engaged him in his work.Now the employer is not giving him his wages. During the work his maternal grandmother was died and he asked the employer that he wants to go for his maternal grandmother’s last ceremony. The employer tells him that first look after his cattle and then go anywhere.

After finishing the work of employer in the morning Jaswinder went to the house of his maternal parents. He came back in the next day morning on the work of the employer, the employer starts to abuse him on caste basis and tell him that “why he is late?”. The employer threaten him that he will teach him a lesson for coming late on work. Then the employers start his tractor and kicked Jaswinder Singh with his tractor and he was injured seriously. His left arm has been broken and he became unconscious. The employer’s son Harjit Singh brings him to a private doctor and his arm has plastered. Now Jaswinder Singh is unable to work for the employer due to his injury but the employer is demanding bonded debt of Rs.20,000 (Twenty thousand rupees) and is forcing him to pay the bonded debt otherwise work for him as the wheat harvesting season is coming.  The employer is not giving any expenses for the treatment of Jaswinder Singh, when Jaswinder Singh’s mother went to the house of the employer to demand money for his son’s treatment. The employer do not gave her any money but he abused her and ordered her to get out from his house and said that he has not any money for Jaswinder Singh’s treatment. The employer has threaten that if he will not pay the bonded debt or will not work for him he will hand him over to police and with the help of police he will extract the bonded debt. For the release and rehabilitation of Jaswinder Singh VSJ has sent a complaint to the District Magistrate, Bathinda. The case is pending.

Jaswinder Singh @ Kundan S/o Gurjant Singh @ Janta, Age-34 years is from village- Jai Singh wala, tehsil & District- Bathinda. He belongs to Majhabi Sikh caste which is declared as a scheduled caste by the state of Punjab. From last five years, he is working as a “Siri” (bonded labourer) with the different employers. Now he is working with Mandeep Singh S/o Mohinder Singh from village- Jai Singh wala, tehsil & District- Bathinda who belongs to caste “Jatt Sikh” (upper caste).

When he (Jaswinder singh) started to work for Mandeep Singh, he was given Rs. 15000 (Fifteen thousand rupees) as an advance amount and Mandeep Singh promised him that he will gave him Rs.41,000 (Forty one thousand rupees) as his annual wages for the first year. The advance money which was given to Jaswinder Singh, he used to repay the bonded debt of his previous employer who took work from him continuously for three years and never paid his wages and when he desire to leave his work then he imposed a amount of Rs.10,000 (ten thousand rupees) on him as an bonded debt. Then to repay the bonded debt of his previous employer Jaswinder Singh was helpless to work for Mandeep Singh.

Now he is working as a bonded labourer under the employer (Mandeep Singh). He is working for day and night and the employer never allow him to go to his home even his house is in the same village where he is working but the employer hardly allow him to go after two or three days only for one night. Whenever he stayed more time then the employer comes to his house and abused him and forcibly brings him to work. The employer never paid his earns wages even not any overtime or weekly rest. Whenever he demands his wages he gave him only Rs.100 or Rs.50 after ten or fifteen days. His father and brother are working outside they are managing the household needs. When Jaswinder Singh worked for one year for the employer, he demands his wages but the employer do not paid his wages but impose a bonded debt amount of Rs.8000/- on him so that he could extract bonded labour from him and in the second year he again gave him Rs.17,000 as an advance amount and again engaged him in his work.Now the employer is not giving him his wages. During the work his maternal grandmother was died and he asked the employer that he wants to go for his maternal grandmother’s last ceremony. The employer tells him that first look after his cattle and then go anywhere.

After finishing the work of employer in the morning Jaswinder went to the house of his maternal parents. He came back in the next day morning on the work of the employer, the employer starts to abuse him on caste basis and tell him that “why he is late?”. The employer threaten him that he will teach him a lesson for coming late on work. Then the employers start his tractor and kicked Jaswinder Singh with his tractor and he was injured seriously. His left arm has been broken and he became unconscious. The employer’s son Harjit Singh brings him to a private doctor and his arm has plastered. Now Jaswinder Singh is unable to work for the employer due to his injury but the employer is demanding bonded debt of Rs.20,000 (Twenty thousand rupees) and is forcing him to pay the bonded debt otherwise work for him as the wheat harvesting season is coming.  The employer is not giving any expenses for the treatment of Jaswinder Singh, when Jaswinder Singh’s mother went to the house of the employer to demand money for his son’s treatment. The employer do not gave her any money but he abused her and ordered her to get out from his house and said that he has not any money for Jaswinder Singh’s treatment. The employer has threaten that if he will not pay the bonded debt or will not work for him he will hand him over to police and with the help of police he will extract the bonded debt. For the release and rehabilitation of Jaswinder Singh VSJ has sent a complaint to the District Magistrate, Bathinda. The case is pending.

Raju S/o Atma Ram R/o Village-Dhindsa,tehsil-Rajpura, District- Patiala. Raju belongs to “Valmik” caste which has been declared as a scheduled caste by the state of Punjab.

Raju’s father was a bonded laourer and he worked continually for 25 years at Mohinder Farm, Village- Naidu, tehsil- Rajpura, District- Patiala. The current employer of this farm is Lali S/o Mohinder Singh Cheema. When his father completed his 20 years work period at Mohindera Farm then the employer also engaged him in his work along with my father. When he joined the work at Mohindera Farm and worked for five years along with his father. After five years his father was died. His father was extremely suffered from the knee pain, but the employer continuously took work from him. One day, during the course of his work, he vomited and blood came from his mouth and he fall down on the earth and died.

After the death of his father the employer did not pay them any compensation. After the death of his (Raju) father, the employer imposed a debt of Rs.35000/- on him and took the force labour from him and never spoke about his father’s fixed wages.  The employer gave him only 40 KG wheat in a month. He had working from 4:a.m to 10.00 for the employer but during the wheat harvesting and paddy transplantation season he worked day & night for the employer. The employer was not providing them the food. The employer was not allowing his for any weekly rest or did not pay him any over time. If he could not be able to attend his work due to illness or any other urgent work then the employer imposed a fine according his wish and adds it into the advance and charge a interest according to his own wish on the whole amount.

One day, he was ill and not went to field for work and employer did not allow him to stay at home and take rest infact, he send his driver and who bring him (Raju) to the work again. After his marriage whenever he asked to employer that he wanted to visit his in laws house but he never allowed him to go there.

Whenever he demands his wages from the employer hardly he given him only Rs.1000/- after fifteen days. His wife was working outside in a factory and she was managing the household expenses. From last two months his wife was ill and the doctor said that she has a stone in her gallbladderand she needs an operation. For his wife’s operation he demanded his earn wages from the employer but the employer refused to give him any wages. His wife is ill and needs treatment but the employer is not giving him earned wages. His brother is managing the medicine expense for his wife. Now, the employer did not give him, his wages, infact extracted hard work almost day & night and not allowed him to go anywhere,  so he had left his work  but  now the employer is demanding Rs. 50,000/- as an debt advance from him.

The employer is coming to his house daily and demanding the bonded debt and threaten him that if he will not work for him or will not repay the bonded debt he will be handed over to  police. He also goes to the houses of Raju’s relatives to find out him. Due to the fear of the employer he is living outside but the employer is threatening his family members and demanding the bonded debt.

The case was sent to DM. Raju is physically free.