Police rescued 12 bonded laborers from captivity in UP after one of them escaped from a disposable paper plate and paper plate manufacturing unit in Mandi village.
A day after police uncovered a horrific forced labor rampage in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar district, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi termed it “absolutely shocking” and an “attack on human dignity”, with Priyanka Gandhi also echoing these thoughts.
“In addition to being forced to work without pay, workers have been bitten by dogs, stabbed with spears, flogged, and fed animal fodder. This is an assault on human dignity – victims should get justice with rehabilitation, and perpetrators given the harshest punishment possible,” Rahul, leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, wrote in a post on X.
Read also: Amid the MEA passport statement row, what constitutes proof of citizenship in India?
Twelve bonded laborers were released from captivity in Muzaffarnagar after one of them on June 22 managed to escape by climbing the boundary wall of a disposable paper plates and paper bowl manufacturing unit in Mandi village, police said on Wednesday.
Rahul Gandhi links the issue to MGNREGA and shortage of jobs
Rahul raised questions on why and how the workers ended up in a trap for over 18 months where they suffered multiple injuries, including bruises, cuts and fractures and showed signs of prolonged physical abuse, HT had earlier reported. Police said the workers were attacked with iron bars, sticks and fan belts.
Read also: ‘I stood apart’: Big allegations made by Chetan Chaudhary’s family in Pune Trip murder case
Rahul said the case was not an “ordinary criminal incident” but “the ruins of a collapsing economy.”
“We must also ask why workers end up falling into such dangerous situations due to harsh coercions. When jobs dry up, incomes stop, and safeguards like MGNREGA and labor laws meant for the most vulnerable are weakened, desperation mounts. And those who have no other options or protection become easy prey to such exploitation.”
Congress Party leader Priyanka Gandhi said that this racket is an attack on human dignity and the Indian Constitution. She added: “Strict measures must be taken in this regard, and the guilty must receive the punishment that sets a precedent.”
Read also: “Regarding Mossad plan to assassinate Munir, Pak said it would wipe Israel off the map”: Giorno’s wild claim rejected
“Instead of being paid, they were subjected to horrific torture. They were fed dry roti and animal fodder. They were beaten with sharp weapons and whips. They were forced to bite dogs,” she wrote on X.
Bonded labor issue in UP
Police released nearly a dozen enslaved workers from a factory in UP Muzaffarnagar district, where they 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 paper and paper plates manufacturing unit in Mandi village and reached Titawi police station on June 22. Minors were also among those released from the factory.
Factory owner Ankit Balyan, his father Pradeep Balyan and factory supervisor Shiva Tyagi have been booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Human Trafficking, Bonded Labor and Murder Act and relevant sections under the Bonded Labor System (Abolition) Act, Child Labor (Prohibition and Regulation) Act and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act have been registered.
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.
Sana started her career in 2018 with News18 and later moved to BoomLive. In the meantime, she thought it would be a good idea to share what she had learned, so she taught a part-time journalism course at Jamia Millia Islamia, which she says she thoroughly enjoyed – and she wasn’t sure if the feeling was mutual. For a year, she also tried out communication roles, but realized she felt more comfortable with the news. So, I joined HT in September 2025. Not much of a talker, always up for tea and a quip. Pun always intended. Her motto is, “I’ll figure it out, but I have to panic first.”Read more
