Young footballers forced to turn child labourers in Bengaluru rescued

In a shocking and humiliating incident for Indian football, young footballers, dreaming of making it big in the sport, were forced to turn into child labourers in Karnataka.

They were eventually rescued from the abode of the dead after their month-long ordeal.

A group of footballers aged between 8 and 14 from Sonarpur Dynamic Sports Academy, based in South 24 Parganas in West Bengal, were roped in by Black Panther Total Footballing Club, an AIFF-listed club, in Bengaluru to play in the Karnataka State Youth League in September end.

But to the astonishment of these boys and their academy, the Bengaluru-based side forced them to become child labourers.

These children were scrubbing utensils, washing clothes, sweeping floors and cooking meals among other things. The children were also cut off from any communication with their parents and were provided low-quality food.

What happened?

"On September 25, a person called Jay Sarkar, a coach with the Black Panther club, called our technical advisor cum coach Sandeep Bhowmick and told him that he want ten footballers for the Black Panther club," Soham Bhattacharya, an official with the Sonarpur Academy, told The Bridge.

"Initially, the club has not given us any written letter about procuring the players. But upon our insistence, Sarkar sent us an email, with particulars that they want five players each for U13 and U15 sides. But an official confirmation from the club was still awaited," revealed Bhattacharya.

"We thought this would be a good exposure tour for these boys. So, despite not getting the official mail, we released our players," he added.

"But within four days after our departure from Bengaluru, we started getting complaints from the boys. They complained of mental torture and not getting timely food. An unscientific system was being followed. The boys were also not given any food after the match in the evening and forced to cook their own meal in the night," alleged Bhattacharya.

As this ordeal of the young boys continued, the academy lodged a complaint with the club management.

The club had sent an official confirmation after nearly a month on October 22. "They promised us to provide the boys with salubrious accommodation, nutritious food and medical aid. But in reality, they did not look after the children. Jay Sarkar, who had hired these boys, was there at the premises as a residential coach and caretaker. Our allegation is against him too," stated Bhattacharya.

"The boys were forced to cook food for themselves. They also forced a 12-year-old boy to carry a 20-litre water drum. They were also not given any water for a night and were forced to drink water from the washroom basin. They used to sleep on the floor, and their injuries were left untreated. A boy has not yet recovered from fever that he caught in Bengaluru " he alleged.

Despite several emails, the Black Panther Total Footballing Club refused to release these boys. "They even demanded Rs 30,000 from us for each boy. It surprised us because if anybody was entitled to receive money, that was us, not them. But it seemed like a ransom to us," discerned Bhattacharya.

The Sonarpur-based academy eventually lodged a complaint with Baruipur Police Station.

What next?

The academy also approached the Indian Football Association (IFA), the patron of the sport in West Bengal.

"We approached IFA secretary Anirban Dutta in October end. On his advice, we sent a couple of guardians to Bengaluru. They stayed there and sent us a report. A parent named Sarowar Molla even termed the facility worse than a jail," said Bhattacharya.

"IFA vice-president Saurav Paul then informed Karnataka State Football Association and created pressure on the Black Panther club," he added.

On behalf of the academy, lawyer Dipankar Chakrabarty had sent a mail to Yelahanka Old Police Station. The Bengaluru Police acted spontaneously and helped the Sonarpur Dynamic Academy rescue their footballers.

"On October 22, we rescued our children. The boys knew where the owners used to keep the key. The boys also informed us that nobody kept an eye on them between 10 to midnight. So our people rescued them and took them to SMVT station. Sub Inspector Akhilesh Yadav of Yelahanka Old Police Station informed the RPF about the development. The RPF provided protection to these boys in the waiting room and next day morning helped them board the Howrah-bound Duranto Express. The boys finally reached their home on October 24," narrated Bhattacharya.

India Today later quoted a junior footballer named Subhodip Kundu, who was among the ten boys stranded in Bengaluru.

"We played very little. We worked more. We were utilized as cooks. We washed clothes, swept and polished the floors of every room, and even cleaned the bathrooms," he said, giving a first-hand account of his ordeal.

Parents of the children have also lodged separate complaints with the police. But no action has been taken against the Black Panther Total Footballing Club yet.