Odisha man says hand, foot chopped off when asked for wages, probe on

A palm and a foot of the man, identified as Sanka Murmu, a resident of Kalaba village, were chopped off allegedly by the middlemen of a contractor that employed him.

Published on: Oct 4, 2022, 24:37:35 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty, Bhubaneswar

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

A 45-year-old tribal man from Odisha’s Gajapati district was allegedly assaulted for demanding wages for working at a cement factory in Uttar Pradesh last month, prompting a senior official from his district to launch a probe.

A 45-year-old tribal man from Odisha’s Gajapati district was allegedly assaulted for demanding wages. (Representative use)

A palm and a foot of the man, identified as Sanka Murmu, a resident of Kalaba village, were chopped off allegedly by the middlemen of a contractor that employed him.

“On September 13, six of us had gone to Cuttack after a person from Boudh promised to get us work in Delhi. However, five youths from a neighbouring village lured us to work at a cement factory in Uttar Pradesh promising us ₹20,000 a month,” he said.

“When we asked for our wages, they gave us two pouches (of local liquor). After consuming liquor, I fell unconscious. When I woke up, I found my foot and palm chopped off,” he said.

Murmu’s wife Sushila said the youths brought him in a vehicle on September 30 “and threw him at our house, threatening us with dire consequences if we went to the police.”

State labour commissioner Thirumala Naik said that he asked the district labour officer of Gajapati to go to Murmu’s house and inquire into the incident. “We would take all possible action and provide all help to him and his family,” he said.

On Monday, Murmu was admitted to the community health centre at Mohana.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

Follow India news real-time updates and the latest news covered on Hindustan Times, featuring today's critical updates on Sonam Wangchuk LIVE and more across India.