Every time you pick up the cellphone and dial a number or send messages, spare a thought for hundreds of those who are forced to work in hazardous conditions deep down in the mines of Congo so that you can enjoy the comforts of modern gadgets.

Ranchi-based noted documentary filmmaker Sri Prakash’s recent venture, Congo: The Blood in Our Pocket, tells many such stories of human rights violation perpetrated by big companies of Europe, China and India in Congo. The 20-minute documentary, which also speaks about how locals are killed in clashes engineered by the companies so that their illegal deeds are not exposed, was released by Prakash on the Web on Monday.

“The documentary is about forceful mining in Congo, one of the poorest countries in the world, by Indian and Chinese companies. These companies employ locals, who work in adverse conditions to dig out columbite-tantalite (coltan) — a metal used in making cellphones and laptops. It also exposes in-group fights among the local residents, sponsored by the mining companies, in which millions of lives are lost,” Prakash told The Telegraph.

Congo: The Blood in Our Pocket was born at Mali, another mineral-rich country in Africa, when Prakash had gone there to attend a gathering of African human rights activists in March. Golden Misabika, a human right activist of Congo, is the main protagonist of the film.

“I came to know from Congo activists that mining companies, particularly those belonging to China, India and Europe, were indulging in human rights violation by forcing the locals to work in mines. I decided to record their speeches and prepare the documentary,” Prakash, who has two films on uranium mining, Buddha Weeps in Jadugora, and Jadugora: The Black Magic, to his credit, said.

He has reportedly been raising the issue at different forums.

Congo is rich in coltan, a dull black metallic ore from where niobium — also known as columbium — and tantalum are extracted. Tantalum from coltan is used to make tantalum capacitors, which, in turn, are used in electronics gadgets like cellphones, laptops and computers. Apart from Democratic Republic of Congo, countries like Australia, Canada, China, Ethiopia and Mozambique are major producers of coltan.

“After my film’s release on the Internet, some American intellectuals contacted me, saying that they wanted to call Misabika to the US to hear about coltan mining in Congo from him,” said Prakash.