Branded, whipped and guarded by pitbulls: 12 bonded labourers rescued in UP

ALabourer’s do-or-die(a) get away from a manufactory in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar dominion uncovered what constabulary described as a bonded labour racket, in which workers were allegedly confined, tortured and forced to work for months under inhuman conditions. They were also not paid the promised monthly wages of ₹12,000, officials aware of the matter said.Police said the case came to light after Vikram, a labourer from Rajasthan’s Jodhpur district, scaled the boundary wall of a disposable leaf bowl and paper plate manufacturing unit in Mandi village and reached Titawi police station on June 22.His complaint prompted a police raid that led to the rescue of 12 workers and the arrest of two people, officials said.Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Sanjay Verma said, “A team led by Executive Magistrate Radhey Shyam Gaur raided the factory in Mandi village under Titawi police station limits after receiving a tip-off. During the operation, 12 bonded labourers, including minors, were freed from the factory premises.”He added, “A case against factory owner Ankit Balyan, his father Pradeep Balyan and factory supervisor Shiva Tyagi under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) under charges related to human trafficking, bonded labour, murder, and relevant sections under the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act has been registered.”Pradeep Balyan and Shiva Tyagi have been arrested, while factory owner Ankit Balyan is absconding, the police said.According to officials, the rescued workers came from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Nepal. Investigators suspect some of them had been held at the factory for nearly one-and-a-half years.Also Read | Over 40 coaching institutes sealed in Uttar Pradesh districts over safety violationsSSP Verma said the workers were allegedly lured from railway stations, bus stands and other public places with promises of jobs, salaries, food and accommodation. Once brought to the factory, their mobile phones and identity documents were allegedly taken away, leaving them unable to contact their families or leave the premises.“The workers were strictly forbidden from contacting their families and not allowed to leave the premises. Any attempt to escape or protest was met with brutal violence,” the SSP said.The rescued workers told police they were made to work from around 4 am till nearly midnight every day. They alleged that illness was not accepted as a reason to stop work and that those who resisted were beaten.Medical examinations conducted after the rescue revealed multiple injuries, including bruises, cuts, fractures and signs of prolonged physical abuse, police said, adding that the workers were allegedly assaulted with iron rods, sticks and fan belts.Pitbull dogs were also allegedly used to intimidate them and prevent escape.Several workers told police they were given little food and often survived on rotis made from bran, commonly used as cattle feed. Many broke down while recounting their experiences after being rescued, officials said.The workers are undergoing treatment and officials are trying to reach out to their families.According to police, the investigation has also raised suspicions that some labourers may have died inside the factory due to torture, poor living conditions and lack of medical treatment. They established the identity of one deceased worker while continuing efforts to identify how many more have died and under what circumstance.The factory had reportedly been operating for around seven years. “Our teams will be searching other factories as well,” Verma said.Terming the incident an “assault on human dignity”, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday posted on social media: “The case of bonded labour in Muzaffarnagar is extremely shocking. Apart from forcing them to work without wages, the workers were allegedly made to be bitten by dogs, stabbed with spears, whipped and fed cattle fodder.”He added, “This is an attack on human dignity. The victims should be provided justice along with rehabilitation and the accused should be given the strictest possible punishment.”