Shock in India as police rescue men from bonded labour
Police in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh rescued 12 people who were allegedly working for debt in a small factory, sparking outrage across the country.
Police said the men were lured with the promise of jobs, but were then held against their will for months. They were allegedly forced to work day and night and were brutally beaten when they demanded pay or tried to leave.
Police reported that two people were arrested in the incident and the factory owner escaped.
The incident once again drew attention to bonded labor in India. Although it was made illegal 50 years ago, it persists in parts of the country, with poor workers often trapped by debt, threats and pressure.
Warning: Some readers may find the details in this story upsetting.
The incident, which took place in Muzaffarnagar district, came to light last week when the police received a tip-off about workers being held captive at a disposable plate manufacturing factory.
Senior police official Sanjay Kumar Verma told the BBC that they first sent a trap and then raided the factory along with labor department and district officials on Monday.
It was stated that 12 people rescued were from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Bihar and Uttarakhand, and one was from Nepal. Some were held at the factory for as long as 18 months, police said.
Verma described the living conditions as “tremendous brutality” and added that the injuries on the workers’ bodies were “shocking”.
Police raided a disposable plate production factory on Monday [BBC Hindi]
Police said the suspect preys on people looking for work at train stations and other public places and brings them in by offering them jobs, food and accommodation.
When they arrived at the factory, workers’ mobile phones were confiscated and they were allegedly locked inside and forced to work 24 hours a day.
statement made by the police He said the workers were fed only one dry roti (Indian flatbread) a day and were protected by pit bull terriers.
“When they demanded wages or talked about leaving their jobs, they were beaten with sharp sticks,” the statement said.
Some of the rescued workers told BBC Hindi about their situation.
Ramu, from the state of Uttarakhand, said they were “held like prisoners” and were never allowed to leave the factory.
“Our mobile phones were taken away and our Aadhaar cards were burned. We were beaten with sticks and given only whole wheat bread to eat,” he said.
Narayan, from Chattisgarh, said he was approached at a railway station in Delhi with the promise of a job.
Responsible for taking care of her two brothers and two young children, she accepted the offer and was brought to Muzaffarnagar.
“I have been here for four months. I miss my family very much,” he said.
Nepalese Dan Bahadur Thapa was among the rescued workers [BBC Hindi]
Dan Bahadur Thapa, who lives in Nepal, said he had been kept in the factory for nearly two years without any contact with his family.
“We were made to work. We were given only wholemeal bread, salt and red pepper powder. There was not even sugar in the tea,” he added.
Some workers, including 26-year-old Shivam Kumar, showed media signs of injuries on their backs and other parts of their bodies, which they said were caused by repeated beatings.
The police registered a case under the Bonded Labor System (Abolition) Act, child labor laws and other provisions. Police official Verma said that a special investigation team has also been formed to investigate the incident.
Police are also investigating claims that some workers may have died at the factory.
The rescue and the workers’ ordeal sparked widespread outrage on social media; Many people have asked how such abuses could continue for decades after India banned bonded labor.
Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi condemned the incident and said it was an attack on human dignity.
“Victims should receive justice as well as rehabilitation, and perpetrators should be punished with the harshest possible punishment,” he wrote in his article to X.
Many people also expressed their surprise online.
One user described the alleged abuse as “inhumane”, while another wrote that the incident was “a stain on our collective conscience, and justice must be swift and exemplary”.
All 12 workers received medical treatment and are currently receiving psychiatric counseling, police said.
“Eight people have already been reunited with their families,” Verma said. Officials added that they are trying to contact the relatives of the remaining workers and are coordinating with government departments to arrange their rehabilitation.
