Rescue of bonded workers from UP factory unearths ‘tale of torture’
Officials said 13 laborers were confined, unpaid and abused for over a year after a joint raid exposed the factory.
- On Monday, police and officials raided a factory in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, rescuing 12 men allegedly held as bonded laborers. Authorities arrested two people, while the factory owner remains on the run.
- Lured with promises of a monthly salary of Rs 12,000, the men were held captive for up to 18 months, despite bonded labor being illegal for 50 years. This persistence reflects ongoing coercion and debt traps.
- Workers reported severe abuse, including being beaten with sharp sticks and fed cattle feed when they attempted to leave. One worker named Arjun allegedly died in November 2025 following prolonged torture at the factory.
- On Wednesday, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi condemned the incident as an 'assault on human dignity.' Police formed a Special Investigation Team to investigate the allegations and collect evidence.
- Uttar Pradesh Congress leader Ajay Kumar Lallu blamed the BJP government's failed economic policies for the oppression, arguing that structural failures and disappearing jobs force vulnerable workers into such dangerous situations.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Twelve bonded laborers were held in inhumane conditions at a factory in Muzaffarnagar district, Uttar Pradesh. They were lured there with the promise of jobs, but were imprisoned there for months, starving and thirsty, working long hours.
UP Police rescues 12 bonded labour from captivity; serves food at station
Twelve bonded labourers, including minors, were rescued from a Muzaffarnagar factory after one worker escaped and alerted police. Their accounts of torture, starvation and a suspected custodial death have widened the case beyond labour violations.
12 bonded labourers rescued from UP factory allege torture, confinement
Twelve bonded labourers, including minors, were rescued from a factory in Muzaffarnagar after enduring months of captivity and torture. Lured with job promises, they faced inhumane conditions, including being fed cattle feed, sleeping only a few hours, and enduring beatings. Visible injuries and accounts of intimidation highlight the harrowing ordeal, with one worker allegedly dying from torture. Authorities are now working on rehabilitation and…
‘Bitten by dogs, stabbed, whipped, fed fodder’: Rahul Gandhi calls for justice for Muzaffarnagar bonded labour victims
Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi condemned the shocking incident of bonded labor in Muzaffarnagar. He called for justice and emphasized the link between economic instability and the exploitation of vulnerable individuals.
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