In a shocking and humiliating incident for Indian football, aspiring young players with dreams of making it big in the sport found themselves compelled to engage in child labor in Karnataka. Their month-long ordeal came to an end when they were eventually rescued from dire circumstances.
A group of footballers, aged between 8 and 14, hailing from the Sonarpur Dynamic Sports Academy in South 24 Parganas, West Bengal, had been recruited by the Black Panther Total Footballing Club, an AIFF-listed club in Bengaluru, to participate in the Karnataka State Youth League in late September. However, to the dismay of these boys and their academy, the Bengaluru-based club coerced them into child labor tasks such as scrubbing utensils, washing clothes, sweeping floors, and cooking meals. The children were also isolated from communication with their parents and provided with substandard food.
Recruitment and Initial Assurances
“On September 25, Jay Sarkar, a coach affiliated with the Black Panther club, contacted our technical advisor and coach, Sandeep Bhowmick, expressing the need for ten footballers for the Black Panther club,” shared Soham Bhattacharya, an official from the Sonarpur Academy, with The Bridge. “Initially, the club did not provide us with a written letter confirming the player procurement. However, upon our insistence, Sarkar sent us an email specifying that they required five players each for the U13 and U15 sides. Despite this, an official confirmation from the club was still pending,” Bhattacharya disclosed.
Early Signs of Trouble
“We believed that this tour would offer valuable exposure for these boys. So, even without the official mail, we allowed our players to join,” he continued. “However, within four days of our departure from Bengaluru, we started receiving complaints from the boys. They reported mental distress and inadequate, untimely meals. A disorganized system was being followed, with the boys being left without food after evening matches and forced to prepare their own meals at night,” Bhattacharya alleged. As the young boys’ distress persisted, the academy filed a complaint with the club management.
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Delayed Confirmation and Unfulfilled Promises
The official confirmation from the club finally arrived nearly a month later on October 22. “They assured us of providing the boys with suitable accommodation, nutritious meals, and medical assistance. Unfortunately, they failed to fulfill these promises. Jay Sarkar, the individual who recruited these boys, was present at the premises as a residential coach and caretaker, and our allegations extend to him as well,” Bhattacharya stated.
“The boys were compelled to cook their own food, carry a 20-litre water drum, and, in one instance, were denied water for a night, being forced to drink from the washroom basin. They slept on the floor, and their injuries went untreated. One boy has not yet recovered from the fever he contracted in Bengaluru,” he claimed.
Allegations and Demands
Despite numerous emails, the Black Panther Total Footballing Club adamantly refused to release the boys. “They even demanded Rs 30,000 from us for each boy, which was surprising and seemed like a ransom since, if anyone was entitled to receive money, it should have been us, not them,” Bhattacharya observed. Faced with this situation, the Sonarpur-based academy eventually lodged a complaint with Baruipur Police Station.
Intervention and Escalation
The academy also sought assistance from the Indian Football Association (IFA), the governing body of football in West Bengal. Soham Bhattacharya stated, “In late October, we approached IFA secretary Anirban Dutta. Following his guidance, we dispatched a couple of guardians to Bengaluru, where they stayed and subsequently provided us with a detailed report. One parent, Sarowar Molla, even described the facility as worse than a jail.“
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— The Bridge Football (@bridge_football) December 15, 2023
While we as a nation dream of FIFA, young footballers were forced to turn child labourers in Bengaluru. The price they paid for dreaming big.!!😳
Is this how we are dreaming to achieve our Vision 2047?#IndianFootball | @the_bridge_in | @SudptaBiswas pic.twitter.com/Tw2BW4i746
“Bolstering our efforts, IFA vice-president Saurav Paul informed the Karnataka State Football Association and exerted pressure on the Black Panther club,” Bhattacharya added. On behalf of the academy, lawyer Dipankar Chakrabarty sent an email to Yelahanka Old Police Station. The Bengaluru Police acted promptly, facilitating the rescue of the footballers from Sonarpur Dynamic Academy.
Rescue Operation
“On October 22, our children were rescued. The boys were aware of where the owners kept the key, and they informed us that there was no supervision between 10 PM to midnight. Our team, utilizing this information, rescued them and transported them to SMVT station. Sub Inspector Akhilesh Yadav of Yelahanka Old Police Station informed the RPF about the situation. The RPF provided protection to the boys in the waiting room and the next morning assisted them in boarding the Howrah-bound Duranto Express. The boys finally returned home on October 24,” recounted Bhattacharya.
Testimonies and Ongoing Investigations
A junior footballer named Subhodip Kundu, one of the ten boys stranded in Bengaluru, shared his experience with India Today, stating, “We played very little. We worked more. We were utilized as cooks, washing clothes, sweeping and polishing the floors of every room, and even cleaning the bathrooms.” The parents of the children have also filed separate complaints with the police, although no action has been taken against the Black Panther Total Footballing Club as of now.
