Middlemen resort to extortion, kidnapping to recover advance amount from sugarcane cutters

The drop in sugarcane yield this season has not affected sugar production, but also led to another episode of extortion, kidnapping and exploitation cane cutters by middlemen for recovery of advances given to them ahead of the season in some parts of rural Maharashtra

Mumbai: The drop in sugarcane yield this season has not affected sugar production, but also led to another episode of extortion, kidnapping and exploitation cane cutters by middlemen for recovery of advances given to them ahead of the season in some parts of rural Maharashtra.

Mumbai, India - Sept. 10, 2015 : Sugar cane fields in Marathwada, in Mumbai, India, on Thursday, September 10, 2015. (Photo by Vidya Subramanian/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

An FIR was lodged on April 21 in Jintur of Parbhani against middlemen under section 365 (kidnapping), 384 (extortion), 341 (wrongful restraint), 344 (wrongful confinement) of the Indian Penal Code and 4(1) and 3(1) of the SC/ST(prevention of atrocities) Act.

As the advance given to the cutters is ascertained per tonne, the loss of weight has led to a drop in remuneration.

Around 8 lakh cutters from Beed and other districts from the central Maharashtra venture out in October for cane cutting near sugar factories kilometres away from their homes. They receive around ₹1 lakh for 180 days of the season.

The season that ended two weeks ago witnessed a drop in sugar production per hectare from an average of 110 tonnes to 80 tonnes, mainly due to uneven rainfall last season. This has resulted in cutting of less cane in weight per day than expected. The middlemen or mukadams are now pulling out all stops to recover the advance.

Sugar commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad said that the problem has occurred also because the season lasted for just 110 days instead of the average season of around 170 days. He said that though, generally, the cutters earn ₹90,000 per season, the actual wages this season have dropped to around ₹60,000.

In a complaint to chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, Communist Party of India (CPI) has cited at least half a dozen cases of kidnapping and exploitation of the cutters. One of the cases is related to the exploitation of a pregnant cane cutter Lalita Jadhav from Jintur in Parbhani early this year.

Rajan Kshirsagar of CPI said that there were hundreds of such cases of atrocities and extortion, but the police are not registering cases. “Though such cases of extortion happen every year, the number has gone up significantly this year because of the dip in production and relatively smaller season. This has been the first case in which the FIR has been registered. We have demanded a judicial commission to probe these cases,” he said.

Ashok Tangade of Jagar Pratisthan that works for the rights of cane cutters said that the exploitation of sugar cutters is a serious issue.

Meanwhile, the sugar commissioner said that they cannot take any action against the sugar factories as the contracts are between transporters and the factories and it is the transporters who employ middlemen. “On the other hand, sugar factories have complained against cane cutters for cheating 50 factories of ₹42 crore by not paying back the advances taken. A Solapur factory has filed an FIR against cutters and their contractor for cheating. There are also complaints of false indictment by the cutters using the atrocity act,” he said.