Nuapada, Jan 16: In a horrific act of brutality, a migrant labourer from Odisha's Nuapada district was severely injured after he was allegedly abducted from a train, electrocuted, and set on fire by agents of a brick kiln owner in Andhra Pradesh. The victim, identified as Bidhyadhar Majhi (50) of Junapani Khaliabhatta village in the Khariar police limits, sustained 70 percent burn injuries and is currently battling for his life at the District Headquarters Hospital.

Reports suggest that Majhi had migrated to work at a brick kiln in the Alanam area of Andhra Pradesh about three months ago. He, along with his son Ajay Majhi and several others from his village, had taken advance payments through a local middleman, Hitesh Kumar, to work at the kiln owned by AR Madhab.

Sources said, a few days ago, Majhi allegedly left the brick kiln without informing the owner and boarded a train from Secunderabad to Visakhapatnam. After learning of his escape, the brick kiln owner reportedly sent his contractor along with three to four youths to track him down and bring him back. The assailants reportedly followed Majhi and caught up with him at a railway station located around 100 km from Srikakulam.

Fearing for his life, Majhi attempted to flee, but was beaten. He was then dragged to an electric transformer, where the assailants allegedly gave him electric shocks. But the violence did not end there. The attackers then poured a flammable substance over his body and set him on fire, leaving him to scream in pain as they fled the scene.

The railway police later found Majhi in a critical condition and rushed him to Srikakulam Government Hospital. After informing his family, doctors recommended shifting him to a higher medical facility for better treatment. However, due to financial constraints, the family opted to bring him to Nuapada DHH, where he remains in critical condition.

This shocking incident once again brings attention to the rampant exploitation and inhumane treatment faced by migrant labourers working under the advance-payment (dadan) system. The tragic event has sparked outrage over the unsafe and degrading conditions that migrant workers are subjected to, highlighting the urgent need for better protections and reforms in the labour sector.