Three decayed bodies of bonded Dalit labourers – two women and an infant – were found floating in rainwater near Kaloi union council, a small town in Tharparkar district. The Dalits or so-called low caste Hindus, were dressed in traditional Thari clothes and locals said they were peasants and had been in the custody of a landlord in Mirpur Khas.
The villagers said the landlord had not allowed the bonded labourers to leave despite torrential rain. “The landlord’s armed men left as soon as the water surrounded the village, but the water had inundated the entire area by the time the family tried moving out. They probably drowned trying to evict the area,” the locals said. Shaman Das Maharaj, a teacher in the Kaloi Town told Pakistan Today over telephone that the bodies were floating in water near his school, and upon discovery, a large number of locals helped taking them out of water.
The Kaloi town is one of the worst-affected areas of lower Sindh. “All three bodies were buried in the local graveyard in the town,” said Maharaj.