By Express News Service

BALANGIR: The scourge of migration continues to take its toll on people heading out of the State in search of livelihood. The latest victims are a young couple from Balangir’s Muribahal who were found dead in a hospital of Andhra Pradesh. Father of 29-year-old Parmanand Majhi alleged that his son and daughter-in-law Hemalata were beaten to death at a brick kiln in Ulinakonda of Kurnool district.

Paramanand had married 26-year-old Hemalata in September and the couple went to Andhra Pradesh a month later to work in the brick kiln. Three weeks back, Paramanand’s father Krushna Majhi received information from a middleman that his son and daughter-in-law had committed suicide. He along with Hemalata’s father went to Kurnool where they found their bodies in a local hospital. There were injury marks on the bodies while palms on both hands were found chopped. The local police took a signature from Krushna and handed him over the bodies, he told media persons here.

If loss of his son and daughter-in-law was not enough, Krushna had to face the apathy of Muribahal Police when he went to the police station to lodge a complaint a week back. He was told that since the incident happened in Kurnool, a formal FIR can be registered at the place of occurrence only. The grieving family met Balangir SP Shiva Subramani on Wednesday who immediately instructed Muribahal IIC to register a case.

ALSO READ: Acid attack on Odia worker in AP kiln

Krushna said he strongly believed that Paramanand and Hemalata were beaten to death. “The local police there did not provide a copy of the FIR and post-mortem report to me. Nobody spoke to me properly there. I want justice for my son and daughter-in-law,” he said.

He has also apprised the matter to the District Labour Officer seeking an inquiry into the whole incident.

Paramanand was a certified bonded labourer. He and his wife were recruited by middlemen Karuna Majhi and Pitu who belonged to Babejuri village.