Kochi: The horrific and inhuman working style of Hindustan Powerlinks , a marketing company based in Kochi city of Kerala, has come to light. The employees in this company are being treated cruelly, due to which human rights are being seriously ignored. A video footage that has surfaced recently has exposed this inhumanity, which shows how the employees who do not meet the target are being tortured physically and mentally.
The footage obtained from one of the company's branches on Kaloor Janatha Road clearly shows that the employees are being forced to behave like animals. For example, some employees were tied with belts around their necks and forced to crawl like dogs and drink water. Not only this, they were also forced to pick up rotten fruits from the ground and lick them. The purpose of these horrific activities was to scare them and force them to perform better the next day. The employees are mentally broken to such an extent that they are forced to commit humiliating acts.
The most disgusting thing about these incidents is that some employees were forced to perform inhumane acts like taking off their pants in the middle of the room and holding each other's genitals. Apart from this, they were asked to do humiliating acts like spitting out someone else's chewed fruit, licking coins from the floor, and urinating like a dog.
Such inhumane atrocities are not only committed against men but also against women. It is not limited to sexual harassment or mental harassment only but it is a part of an organised institutional exploitation which is being imposed on the employees in the name of the system.
Most of the employees working in Hindustan Powerlinks are working on very meager salaries. A normal employee is paid only ₹6,000 to ₹8,000 per month, while they are made to go door-to-door marketing all day. Despite this, if they are unable to meet their targets, they have to face exploitation and threats. The company constantly puts mental pressure on them by luring them with higher positions and higher salaries. But in reality, this is just a lure, which keeps the employees trapped in the cycle of exploitation.
Many employees do not raise their voice against this inhumanity because they fear being fired or facing threats. Those who try to protest are threatened with even worse consequences. An atmosphere of fear has been created within the company where exploitation is presented as "motivation" or "reform".
This is not the first time such a complaint has surfaced against Hindustan Powerlinks. Earlier too, the company had been accused of misbehaving with its employees, but those cases were suppressed or taken lightly. The video footage that has surfaced this time has once again exposed the cruel face of this company.
After this incident came to light, various human rights organizations have reacted strongly and have demanded the local administration to start an investigation in this matter as soon as possible. Along with this, strict action has also been demanded against the company so that no employee is mistreated in future.
The local administration should now understand the seriousness of this matter and conduct proper investigation and action. This is not just a matter of one company, but it raises questions on the entire corporate culture and labor rights. If such cases are not stopped in time, then in the coming times more companies can carry forward similar harassment in the name of "discipline".
The inhumanity exposed in Hindustan Powerlinks is not limited to the boundaries of only one company, but it points towards the dark side of society, where only "performance" and "target" are being given importance by sidelining humanity, dignity and labor rights. It is necessary that society, administration and the judicial system take quick and strict action on such cases so that every employee can get a safe and respectful workplace.
PC:Samacharnama
