In Gujarat’s Kutch district, the huts of 15 families of daily wage workers were set ablaze by a contractor, allegedly in retaliation for their refusal to work without pay. The accused, Mohammad Rafiq Kumbhar, had reportedly threatened to burn down the huts after the workers stood up against his exploitative practices.
Kumbhar, known to hire workers from Anjar town has been accused of not paying them for their labour. The allegation was made by Badrinath Gangaram Yadav, one of the workers residing in the huts that were targeted.
The incident occurred early Sunday morning near Khatri Bazaar, where the workers’ huts were located. The families were asleep when Kumbhar allegedly set the huts on fire. Miraculously, all the residents managed to escape unharmed. Tragically, a cat and her seven kittens were not as fortunate and perished in the fire.
By the time fire services arrived on the scene, the huts and all the belongings of the families had been reduced to ashes, leaving them homeless.
Superintendent of Police, Kutch, Sagar Bagmar, confirmed that an attempt to murder case has been registered against Kumbhar, who has since been arrested.
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