Locals accuse army of using ‘forced labourers’ at Lassipora industrial estate; latter denies

Majid Jahangir 
Tribune News Service
Lassipora (Pulwama), November 1

An Army man stationed at an elevated picket at the drop gate of Industrial Estate, Lassipora, signals people to stop. All vehicles leading to the estate from militant-hit Shopian are asked to halt and the driver has to disembark to prove his identity. Only after the approval of the Army man, the vehicles are allowed to move.

Post the abrogation of Article 370, the biggest industrial estate in J&K is almost shut.

While a unit of the Army’s Rashtriya Rifles based at the estate upgraded its infrastructure to keep an eye on suspects moving around in the area, industrialists accuse the Army of using locals as “forced labourers” to build additional infrastructure—including erecting sheds and leveling the ground—at the base. 

Those allegedly taken forcibly to work at the camp said for nearly two months after August 5, no one would dare to walk around at the estate for fear of being forced to do hard labour at the Army camp.

Even some of owners or employees were forced to become labourers.

“I was taken inside the camp in August. Despite telling them I am a senior employee, they forced me to break stones,” said an employee at an industrial unit. “My hand is still scarred.” 

Many workers said some of them were given wages, and some were given rice but no wages for the work done at the base. 

“Some workers were also thrashed,” the workers alleged.   “Now things have eased, but the fear still haunts the entire area.” 

Soon after accusations of harassment, a group of local industrialists and employees approached the Army. 

“The Army heard us cordially and after that meeting there was lot of relief for the commoners,” said an industrialist.    

At least six workers at the industrial estate who talked to The Tribune accused the Army of forcing them to work as labourers at the base. 

However, the Army denied the allegations.

“Nobody has been forced to work at the camp. These are all false allegations,” Srinagar-based defence spokesman, Col Rajesh Kalia, said.

Pulwama Superintendent of Police Chandan Kohli said they had not received any complaint of forced labour, but an official of the State Industrial Development Corporation at the Lassipora said he had received a verbal complaint about the harassment. 

“The unit holders brought to our notice that the Army was forcibly taking labourers to work at the base in August. And in some cases some of them were thrashed. The industrialists brought the issue to the notice of senior police and Army officers. Now things are quite fine at the estate and only a few cold storage units are operating,” he said.     

Currently, there are over 250 industrial units at the estate. Before the abrogation of Article 370, the units provided livelihood to thousands of people. There are many entry points to the industrial estate but they are not manned by the Army.