Police Harassment of Domestic Workers: Rajeshwari’s Story from Madurai
- May 27, 2025
- 12:50 pm
Rajeshwari is a 52-year-old woman who has been doing Domestic Work in Madurai for the past 15 years. At present, she is working in 5 houses. Her 3 daughters are married and she has one son. She has been working in Mr. Kamalandren, house (1st street near Arulmalar Higher Secondary School, K.K. Nager, Madurai) for the last 10 years. Last year her daughter Nagamani accompanied her to work in Kamalandran’s house. They both sweep and swab the house and wash the utensils and the clothes.
On 4th November 2014, they went as usual for the work from 12a.m to 1.30 pm. Then they went and worked in other houses. Mother and daughter as usual worked on 5th and 6th also in the above-mentioned employer’s house. On the 7th of November 2014 morning, Anna Nagar Police went to their house and enquired about their background and asked how many years they were working in Kamalandren’s house. Finally, the police said that on 4th night in the house of Mr. Kamalaknnan, 80 Savaran gold jewels were missing so the police wanted to check both of their hoses. Their families cooperated and the police found nothing
Following this, the Police took her, her daughter, son, and sun in law to Anna Nager Police Station and they threatened to admit that they had stolen the Jewels. Her son Manikandan was beaten by police. Then the police took all the phone numbers of their relatives and friends and enquired about them. On the 12th the Police went to her 2nd daughter’s house to search for jewellery and humiliated them. From the 7th onwards till the 12th of November, the Police threatened, harassed, and humiliated them.
Action:
The Rajeshwari is a member of the Tamil Nadu Domestic Workers’ Union. The issue was discussed in TNDWU’s meeting and the leaders consulted a lawyer and submitted the petition to the Madurai Police Commissioner demanding Justice for Rajeshwari and her family. Now the family is not disturbed by the police