By IANS,
New Delhi : Twenty-five bonded labourers, including 12 children, have been rescued from a brick kiln in Uttar Pradesh’s Gautam Budh Nagar district, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said Wednesday.
While the brick kiln owner had earlier been given a clean chit by the district administration, an enquiry by the human rights commission finally helped in nailing the guilty and rescuing the labourers.
An NHRC official said: “With the assistance of an investigation team sent by the NHRC, the sub divisional magistrate of Gautam Budh Nagar district identified 25 bonded labourers at the Raja Brick Kiln in the area. Incidentally, twice on earlier occasions, the district administration, on the basis of an inquiry by officials of the Labour Commissioner’s office, had given a clean chit to the brick kiln owner.”
“However, investigations by NHRC finally located the two complainants – Bhagwan Das and Kartar Singh – along with their families confirming their status as bonded labourers in the brick kiln,” the official said.
The labourers, who hail from Aligarh district, were issued their release certificates and sent back home earlier this month. The district administration has assured them of rehabilitation.