On Sunday (17th March), early in the morning, a contractor Mohammad Rafiq in Anjar of the Kutch district in Gujarat set ablaze 12 huts of daily wage labourers to burn them alive along with their families, as per reports. The accused torched the huts situated in the Mochi Bazar near Khatri Chowk in Anjar because the workers refused to work for him unless he paid their pending dues for the earlier work.
Mohammad Rafiq fled the spot and later was arrested by the police. A case is registered against him under various sections of the IPC based on the complaint given by the aggrieved workers.
The aggrieved labourers work on daily wages. Accused Mohammad Rafiq is a contractor. He had taken these labourers to work and after completion of the work, he did not pay them the predecided wages. Instead, he gave them just Rs 100 each. When the labourers told him that they would not work for him anymore, Mohammad Rafiq threatened to burn them all alive.
Kutch : અંજારની આગને લઈને મોટો ઘટસ્ફોટ,12 શ્રમિક પરિવારોને જીવતા સળગાવવાનો કરાયો પ્રયાસ , ઘટના સંદર્ભે SP કચ્છ ( પૂર્વ )સાગર બાગમારની News Capital સાથે ખાસ વાતચીત@SP_EastKutch @SagarBagmar #Kutch #Gujarat pic.twitter.com/Yc8iocdOOE
— NewsCapital Gujarat (@NewsCapitalGJ) March 18, 2024
As per reports in the Gujarati media, a brief altercation in this regard took place on Saturday evening. In the wee hours of Sunday (17th March), Mohammad Rafiq came to the huts where these labourers were living. At that time, women, children, and elderly persons were sleeping inside these huts. Mohammad Rafiq sprinkled some inflammable petroleum liquid on these huts and set them on fire and he fled from the spot.
बड़ी ख़बर :
— Janak Dave (@dave_janak) March 18, 2024
कोंट्रक्टर ने 12 श्रमिक परिवारों को ज़िंदा जलाने की कोशिश की.
श्रमिकों को पैसे ना देकर शोषण कर रहा था,ग़ुस्से मैं ज्वलनशील प्रवाही से घरों को लगाई आग.
घरों मैं रहते परिवार मुश्किल से जान बचा पाये.
अंजार पुलिस ने फ़ौरन आरोपी मोहम्मद रफ़ीक को पकड़ लिया है.
सामूहिक… https://t.co/hExEtNGsrN pic.twitter.com/c4LHQyIEcS
As soon as the huts were set ablaze, everyone inside the huts came out. The municipality authorities were contacted and the fire brigade vehicle was called. But before any aid could reach the spot, the huts and everything were reduced to ashes. Fortunately, there was no casualty reported in this incident. The flames of the fire also caused sparking in the electricity wires over the huts.
The accused Mohammad Rafiq immediately fled from the spot. A police team was deployed to nab him after a complaint was registered at the Anjar police station. The complaint was lodged by 46-year-old Badrilal Gangaram Yadav and other labourers living in the huts.
Kutch : અંજારની આગને લઈને મોટો ઘટસ્ફોટ,12 શ્રમિક પરિવારોને જીવતા સળગાવવાનો કરાયો પ્રયાસ , ઘટના સંદર્ભે SP કચ્છ ( પૂર્વ )સાગર બાગમારની News Capital સાથે ખાસ વાતચીત@SP_EastKutch @SagarBagmar #Kutch #Gujarat pic.twitter.com/Yc8iocdOOE
— NewsCapital Gujarat (@NewsCapitalGJ) March 18, 2024
Anjar’s police inspector SD Sisodia said, “Different teams were sent to nab the accused. Meanwhile, when the accused reached near the railway station, he was arrested. At present, the police have registered a complaint under sections including attempt to murder and further investigation is underway.”
According to the family members of the victims, all the people here work as labourers and earn daily wages. The accused Rafiq used to take the labourers from the area for retail labour and used to give only Rs 100 without paying the fixed amount and also used to issue threats. These workers were fed up with Rafiq and refused to work for him. But now all the workers have been rendered homeless as Mohammad Rafiq burnt their huts.
