Bakshish Singh S/o Gurmail Singh is R/o Village- Majhal Khurd, Post office- Panjola,Tehsil & District- Patiala. He belongs to Majhabi Sikh caste which has been declared as a Scheduled Caste by the State government of Punjab. From the last three years he was working for Karam Singh S/o Chota Singh, R/o Village- Naina Kalan, tehsil & District- Patiala who belongs to Caste Jatt Sikh. The employer gave him Rs. 5000/- as an advance which he spent on households expenses. The employer fixed his annual wages Rs. 40,000/. After first year the employer never gave any information that what wages he has fixed for his wages. He was working as a “Siri”(bonded labourer).  He was working for the employer day and night.The employer never paid his wages whenever he demands his wages the employer refused to give any wages to him and gave him only Rs.100 to Rs.200 in a month. His wife is working outside and she is managing the expenses. The employer has taken his thumb impressions on many blank and other types of papers but he never told him that why he has taken his thumb impressions on these papers. The employer was not allowing him for any weekly rest or overtime wages. Whenever Bakshish Singh fall sick or could not attend the work due to any other reason the employer imposed a fine according to his own wish and adds this amount in the advance amount and charged an interest on the whole amount according to his own wish. Bakshish Singh’s wife was pregnant and she stopped to work outside as she was not able. Bakshish Singh demanded his wages from the employer for the medical aid for his wife. The employer refused to pay him any of his wages so Bakshish Singh stopped to work for the employer. O 21-7-013 the employer Karam Singh and his son Bhupinder Singh came to his house and told him that they will extract the debt of  Rs.100,00,0/-  if he will not pay then they will not allow him to work anywhere. They threaten him that if they will not pay them the bonded debt they will implicate him in a false case and hand him over to police. As the employer was not paying the wages of Bakshish Singh he was not interested to continue his services with the employer. So he approached to VSJ for legal help and the complaint for his release and rehabilitation was sent to District Magistrate, Patiala on dated 7-8-012 by registered post. He is physically free but no action has been taken against the employer. But now to extract the bonded debt the employer has imposed a case to Suit for Recovery on Bakshish Singh which is still pending in the Court of Civil Judge Senior Division, Patiala which is still pending. 

Gopal (48) s/o Sugna, Kaml (40) w/o Gopal, Ramdev (50) b/o Gopal reside at Ramsar village, under Nasirabad police station, Tehsil Nasirabad in Ajmer Dist. belong to Scheduled Caste (Reggar) community. The victim owned 0.41 sq. feet under plot no. 8585, 0.56 sq. feet under plot no. 8546 & 0.94 sq. feet under plot no. 8874 of land near Devlia road of the village. The total land has not been divided among the brothers of the victim.

That year, the victim cultivated Bazara (maize) in the first rain of the monsoon. While the seed started sprouting, the accused Hari (45) s/o Deba & Laxman (40) s/o Ramdev went to the field of victim, where he cultivated Bazara (maize), started ploughing the land with tractor to destroy entire crop.

On seeing this, Mumtaz s/o Babu of the same village informed about matter to Gopal. One hearing the news, Gopal went to his field and tried to stop Hari & Laxman from ploughing the land, but they abused in caste name and threatened him to run away from the place or else they would kill him, saying that the land belongs to them and they owned it since long back.

Gopal with much distressed, went to Nasirabad police station to lodge complaint but the police seemed to be very lethargic and did not register FIR. Hence the victim, with help of an advocate filed a petition in Nasirabad Court, seeking direction to register his complaint in the police station. With the direction of Court, a case was registered on 9 Aug, 12, No.214, u/s 323,447,427,504 IPC & SC/ST (PoA) Act. against the accused persons.

After the registration of FIR, the accused persons threat the victim’s family to compromisethe case or else they would take revenge. The victim’s family is under threat now. The victim has not received any compensation from the administration. 

Mithu Singh S/o Lal Singh, Age-46, R/o Village- Dayalpur Mirja, tehsil & District- Bathinda. He belongs to Majhabi Sikh caste which has been declared as a Scheduled Caste by the State Government of Punjab. He was working as a bonded labourer for the employer Jaswinder Singh @ Gag S/o Balwinder Sing R/o Village- Dayalpur Mirja, tehsil & District- Bathinda who belongs to Jatt Sikh community.

He worked for the employer continuously for three years and six months. His wife Gurmail Kaur was also working as a domestic worker in the house of the employer. When he started to work for the employer the he was given a land of 15 Marlas as an advance and the employer said that he will deduct the cost of the land from his wages. Mithu Singh built two rooms in this land. In the first year the employer said that he has fixed his annual wages Rs.35000 (Thirty five thousand rupees) but he does not give any information that what wages he has fixed for his wife’s work. The employer was extracting work day and night and was not allowing them to go anywhere. Whenever they could not attend work due to some urgent work or due to illness the employer charged Rs. 300/- as a fine.

Mithu Singh and his wife work for the employer continuously for three years and six months and the employer never pay them their wages and always tell them that he is deducting the cost of the land which he has given to them. The employer imposed an debt of Rs.1,50,000 (Rupees one lakh and fifty thousand) on Mithu Singh  and his wife. As the employer was not giving them any wages they stop to work for the employer. On 9-12-012 the employer come to the house of Mithu Singh  in his absence and demolished the Bathroom in their house and destroyed all the trees in their house. On 8^th February 2013 Mithu Singh came to VSJ office and though a affidavit he shared all the information and request for legal help. After collecting all the information from Mithu Singh VSJ send a letter to the District Magistrate, Bathinda on 8^th February 2013(Reference No:DDVA6091/012) regarding the Release and Rehabilitation of Mithu Singh and his family. As there was no information from the District Magistrate Bathinda that what action has been  taken against the employer? So VSJ filed and letter to APIO, District Magistrate, Bathinda under Right to Information Act 2005 to get the information that what action has been taken against the employer. In the reply of this letter District Magistrate sent a letter to VSJ. In this letter the SDM Rampura Fool‘s enuiry.

 DDVa write to letter.

1.                   First letter was sent to District Magistrate, Bathinda on 8^th February 2013(Reference No:DDVA6091/012)
2.                   Letter to APIO, District Magistrate, Bathinda on dated 16/5/013 (Reference no DDVA/6164/012)
3.                   Reply was received from the APIO, District Magistrate, Bathinda.
4.                   Letter  was sent to the Chairman, National Human Rights Commission, New Delhi on dated 17/5/012, (Reference No:VSJ/6196/012)
5.                   Letter dated  1^st March 2013 was received from NHRC, New Delhi for the comments on the District Magistrate, Bathinda’s report.
6.                   Rejoinder was sent to NHRC on dated 26^th March 2013 through email.
7.                   On line FIR was registered on 30-9-013 which was registered as no: U-Token No: 385453

Instead of many letters to the different authorities there is not any appropriate action against the culprits.

Desa Singh S/o Harnam Singh, Age-52, R/o Village & Post office-Jagdev Kalan, Tehsil-Ajnala, and District- Amritsar belong to “Majhabi Sikh” caste which is declared as a Scheduled Caste by the state government of Punjab.

On July 2012, Tarsem Singh S/o Surta Singh Village- Jagdev Kalan, tehsil- Ajnala, District- Amritsar who belongs to Caste “Jat Sikh” an upper caste has employed him in his agriculture work to work as a “Siri”.

He was working in fields and does cattle farming as well. When he joined the work of Tarsem Singh, he was given Rs. 40,000 (Rupees Forty Thousand) which he spent on the treatment of his wife and for his house necessity. Tarsem Singh fixed his annual wages Rs. 37,000 (Rupees thirty seven thousand). He worked day & night during the season of wheat and paddy transplantation. After the season he worked from 5 a.m to 9 a.m for the employer including three times meals.  Tarsem Singh do not allow him for weekly rest or any leave whenever he got sick or have any other necessary work in his house. When Desa Singh does not go to his work then Tarsem Singh imposed fine on him according to his wish and adds this amount. Desa Singh is diabetic whenever he ask for his wages from the employer, he was paid only Rs.400 (Rupees four hundred) for his medicine and the employer did not pay his wages, over time, weekly rest or earned leave. His wife Bholi is working as a domestic worker in another house & his son Sher Singh is working outside as a driver, they are managing the expense of his house.

In October 2012 when Desa Singh was seriously ill, Tarsem Singh liked to discontinue his services with him, as he is not physically fit to do his work. When Desa Singh requested Tarsem Singh to pay  his earned wages , Tarsem Singh abused him and threaten him and said he will not pay him his wages but Desa Singh has to pay the bonded debt of Rs. 45000/-.  Now the employer is demanding Rs. 45000/- as bonded debt amount and has threaten him that if he will not pay the bonded debt then his residencial home will forcibly taken and will through him and his all family members outside.

The employer had also taken labour work from the son of Desa Singh whose name is Jodha Singh (Age-16 years).  He has taken work from Jodha singh continuously ten days when he observed that he is not fit to his work like an adult then he sent him back to his house. The employer has threatened to Desa Singh that if he will not pay bonded debt then he will forcibly take work from his family member. Desa Singh is not well and he does not want to continue his services with Tarsem Singh but Tarsem Singh is forcing him & his family members to work for him till the bonded debt clear otherwise, give him their residential house. Emplpyer came to the house and demands the bonded debt from Desa Singh and his family members and abusing them on caste basis.

The complaint for their release and rehabilitation has been sent to DM Amritsar. DDVA filed a complaint to National Human Rights Commission New Delhi on dated 21 November 2012. Now Desa Singh physically free and also free from bonded debt.

Shanti Devi D/o Sh. Darshan Singh resident of village- Taride, Police Station- Lakho ki Behram District- Ferozepur. She belongs to Rai Sikh Scheduled Caste community and she is 16 years old.

The father of Shanti Devi went to Delhi on 05/07/2012 on some personal business. On that day in the village home her mother, her brother (Amarjit) and Shanti Devi were sleeping. They do not have any cover on gate. Around 8pm after finishing their dinner all three were sleeping in a cot in their house. Around 11pm Shanti Devi went out to attend natures call and suddenly she was hit in the face by Harbhej Singh, s/o Hoshiar Singh, Caste Kamboj(BC), Village Taridde. The other person, Chanda Singh, Village Changa Rai Utad, lifted both her two legs and forcibly made her sit on the back of the motorcycle.

Shanti Devi was taken to the farmhouse of Harbhej Singh where an electric light helped Shanti Devi to recognise the culprits. Harbhej Singh forcibly threw her on to the cot and raped her. During that period Chanda Singh was waiting outside the farmhouse. He subsequently also raped her in the farmhouse. Both of them also  threatened to kill her ,if she reveal this incident to any one and her relatives. Around 4am the culprits brought Shanti Devi near the village school where her uncle Makhan Singh, s/o Joga Singh had a torch light in his hand with which he could see Shanti Devi in a helpless situation. On the fear of being caught, the culprits ran away.

Later, Shanti Devi was taken to the local Civil Hospital where she was examined by the local doctors. The case is still under investigation, the details of which are yet to be ascertained from the persons concerned.