Manu Bheel

Manu Bheel (Urdu : منو بھیل ) (born 1954) was bonded laborer and human rights activist. Nine of his family were abducted in 1998.^[1] He advocates for the rights of marginalized communities and bonded laborers in Pakistan. ^[2]

Manu Bheel
منو بھیل
Born	1954 Tharparkar Sindh, Pakistan
Occupation	Humanitarian
Known for	Activism
Spouse	Motan (Kidnapped)

Personal life

Manu Bheel was born to a poor Hindu Scheduled Caste agricultural laborer's family in the Tharparkar region of Sindh, Pakistan.^[3] He, along with his family, was bonded to a landlord in Sanghar District before being freed through the intervention of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and community leaders ^[4]

Struggle

After being freed from bonded labor in Sindh in 1996 through the intervention of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP),^[5] Manu Bheel became involved in activism, focusing on the rights of marginalized communities. His advocacy efforts took a more personal turn in 1998,^[6] when his family was kidnapped, an incident he attributed to his former landlord.^[7]

In 2003, Manu began a hunger strike outside the Hyderabad Press Club,^[8] aiming to draw attention to the disappearance of his family and the wider issue of bonded labour.^[9] His protests gained national and international attention, including appeals from organizations such as Anti-Slavery International.^[10]

List of kidnapped family members

The names and ages of the kidnapped family members of Manu Bheel, as claimed by him on February 4, 1998:^[11]

Sr. No	Name	Age	Relation
1	Khero	70	Father
2	Akho	60-65	Mother
3	Motan	40	Wife
4	Jalal	25	Brother [12]
5	Momal	13	Daughter
6	Chaman	10	Son
7	Kanjee	8	Son
8	Dahnee	1½	Daughter
9	Kirto	N/A	Family guest

References

1. "HYDERABAD: Inquiry into Manu Bheel's case begins". Dawn News. 26 November 2005. Retrieved 26 November 2005.
2. Pakistan's "lower caste" Hindus: Equality denied (PDF). International Dalit Solidarity Network.
3. "'نو سال دیوانہ وار' پھرنے والا". BBC Urdu. Retrieved 29 November 2005.
4. "Peasant narrates his 18-year search for 'missing' family". Dawn News. 10 February 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
5. "Denial and Discrimination Labour Rights in Pakistan" (PDF). Pakistan Institute of Labour Education & Research. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
6. Sahoutara, Naeem (2 May 2017). "10 years on, 70-year-old Mano Bheel yet to receive justice". The Express Tribune.
7. "Mannu Bheel: lone man out for justice". Dawn News. 6 June 2008. Retrieved 6 June 2008.
8. Sahoutara, Naeem (7 April 2017). "Continuing struggles: The hunger of Thar that has taken 15 years of Mano Bheel's life". The Express Tribune.
9. Sahoutara, Naeem (2 May 2017). "10 years on, 70-year-old Mano Bheel yet to receive justice". The Express Tribune. Karachi.
10. "Pakistan: Manu Bheel, Sindh Province". The International Dalit Solidarity Network. 10 December 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
11. Shah, Zulfiqar (December 2007). "Information on Caste Based Discrimination in South Asia, Long Behind Schedule, a Study on the Plight of Scheduled Caste Hindus in Pakistan" (PDF). Indian Institute of Dalit Studies (IIDS) and International Dalit Solidarity Network (IDSN). Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
12. "Private Jail By Aziz Sanghur". Youtube. Aziz Sanghur. 11 March 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2024.

External links

• Manu Bheel on IDSN