The desperate escape of a worker from a factory in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar district has exposed what police described as a slave labor racket, where workers were allegedly detained, tortured and forced to work for months in inhumane conditions. They also did not receive the promised monthly wages $Officials familiar with the matter said 12,000.
The case came to light after Vikram, a laborer from Rajasthan’s Jodhpur district, scaled the boundary wall of a disposable paper plate and paper plate manufacturing unit in Mandi village and reached Titawi police station on June 22, police said.
His complaint led to 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 Razi Shyam Gur raided the factory at Mandi village within the limits of Titawi police station after receiving a tip-off. During the operation, 12 bonded labourers, including minors, were released from the factory premises.”
“A case against factory owner Ankit Balyan, his father Pradeep Balyan and factory supervisor Shiva Tyagi under relevant sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on charges relating to human trafficking, bonded labour, murder and relevant sections under Bonded Labor System (Abolition) Act, Child Labor (Prohibition and Regulation) Act and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act has been registered,” he added.
Pradeep Balyan and Shiva Tyagi were arrested, while factory owner Ankit Balyan fled, police said.
According to officials, the rescued workers came from the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Nepal. Investigators suspect that some of them have been detained at the factory for nearly a year and a half.
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SSP Verma said workers were lured from railway stations, bus stands and other public places with promises of jobs, salaries, food and accommodation. It is alleged that once they were brought to the factory, their mobile phones and identity documents were taken, leaving them unable to contact their families or leave the building.
The Public Prosecution said: “The workers were strictly prohibited from contacting their families and were not allowed to leave the building. Any attempt to escape or protest was met with brutal violence.”
The rescued workers told police that they were forced to work from around 4 a.m. until nearly midnight every day. They claimed that illness was not accepted as a reason to stop working, and that those who resisted were beaten.
Medical examinations conducted after the rescue operation revealed multiple injuries, including bruises, cuts, fractures and signs of prolonged physical abuse, police said, adding that the workers were assaulted with iron rods, sticks and fan belts.
It was also alleged that pit bulls were used to intimidate them and prevent them from escaping.
Many of the workers told police they had little food, often surviving on rotis made from bran, commonly used as livestock feed. Officials said many of them collapsed while recounting their experiences after being rescued.
The workers are undergoing treatment and officials are trying to communicate with their families.
According to police, the investigation also raised suspicions that some workers may have died inside the factory due to torture, poor living conditions and lack of medical treatment. They have identified one of the deceased workers while continuing efforts to determine how many others were killed and under what circumstances.
The factory has reportedly been operating for about seven years. “Our teams will inspect other factories as well,” Verma said.
Describing the incident as an “attack on human dignity”, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday posted on social media: “The condition of bonded labor in Muzaffarnagar is absolutely appalling. Apart from being forced to work without wages, the workers were allegedly bitten by dogs, stabbed with spears, flogged and fed cattle fodder.”
He added: “This is an attack on human dignity. The victims must be provided with justice and rehabilitated, and the maximum possible punishment must be imposed on the accused.”
