Debt bondage in India : (bandhua mazdoori) was legally abolished in 1976 but remains prevalent due to weak enforcement by the government. Bonded labour is a system in which lenders force their borrowers to repay loans through labor. Additionally, these debts often take a large amount of time to pay off and are unreasonably high, propagating a cycle of generational inequality. This is due to the typically high interest rates on the loans given out by employers. Although debt bondage is considered to be a voluntary form of labor, people are forced into this system by social situations.
Debt bondage has deep roots in Indian history, dating back to the period when India was under colonial rule. On a more recent note, . Agricultural and brick kiln workers, including child laborers, are the main Indians involved in this practice. Although the Indian government has committed to awarding compensations for freed workers, most workers face negative consequences such as further inequality and health effects, which often results in these laborers committing suicide
Police in India's Uttar Pradesh state have rescued 12 men who were allegedly being held as bonded labour at a small factory, sparking outrage across the country. 21 wewre rescued in Bihar.
The men were lured with promises of jobs but were then held against their will for months, police said. They were allegedly forced to work around the clock and brutally beaten if they demanded wages or tried to leave.
Two people have been arrested in the case, while the factory owner is on the run, police added.
The incident has once again drawn attention to bonded labour in India. Although made illegal 50 years ago, it continues to exist in parts of the country, with poor workers often trapped through debt, threats and coercion.
The incident that took place in Muzaffarnagar district came to light after police received a tip-off last week about workers allegedly being held captive at a disposable plate manufacturing factory.
Senior police official Sanjay Kumar Verma told the BBC that they first sent in a decoy and then raided the factory on Monday along with labour department and district officials.
The 12 rescued were from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Bihar and Uttarakhand, while one was from Nepal. Some had been held at the factory for as long as 18 months, the police said.
Verma described the living conditions as marked by "tremendous atrocity", adding that the injuries on the workers' bodies were "shocking".
BBC Hindi A policeman standing outside a grey metal gate which says beware of dogs BBC Hindi
The police raided the disposable plate-making factory on Monday
Police said the accused preyed on people looking for work at railway stations and other public places and brought them in offering jobs, food and accommodation.
Once they arrived at the factory, the workers' mobile phones were confiscated and they were allegedly locked inside and forced to work around the clock.
The statement issued by the police said the labourers were fed just one dry roti (Indian flatbread) a day and guarded by pit bull terriers.
"When they demanded wages or spoke of leaving, they were beaten with sharp sticks," the statement added.
Some of the rescued workers spoke to BBC Hindi about their plight.
Ramu, from Uttarakhand state, said they were "kept like prisoners" and never allowed to leave the factory.
"Our mobile phones were taken away and our Aadhaar cards were burnt. We were beaten with sticks and given only bran bread to eat," he said.
Narayan, who is from Chattisgarh, said he was approached at a railway station in Delhi with the promise of a job.
Responsible for supporting his two brothers and his two young children, he accepted the offer and was brought to Muzaffarnagar
"I have been here for four months. I have missed my family a lot," he said.
Dan Bahadur Thapa from Nepal was among the workers who were rescued
Nepal resident Dan Bahadur Thapa said he had been held at the factory for nearly two years without any contact with his family.
"We were forced to work. We were given only bran bread with salt and red chilli powder. There wasn't even sugar in the tea," he added.
Some workers, including 26-year-old Shivam Kumar, showed the media injury marks on their backs and other body parts which they said were caused by repeated beatings.
The police have registered a case under the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, child labour laws and other provisions. A special investigation team has also been constituted to investigate the case, police official Verma said.
Alongside, the police are also investigating allegations that some workers may have died at the factory.
The rescue and the workers' ordeal has sparked widespread anger on social media, with many asking how such abuse could continue decades after India outlawed bonded labour.
Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi condemned the incident, calling it an attack on human dignity.
"Victims must receive justice along with rehabilitation and the perpetrators the harshest possible punishment," he wrote on X.
One user described the alleged abuse as "inhumane", while another wrote that the incident "is a stain on our collective conscience. Justice must be swift and exemplary".
Police said all 12 workers have received medical treatment and are now undergoing psychiatric counselling.
"Eight have already been reunited with their families," Verma said. Officials are trying to contact the relatives of the remaining workers and are coordinating with government departments to arrange their rehabilitation, he added.
ActionAid Association’s Bihar and Jharkhand regional office, together with Labour Resources Department, Government of Bihar, has been running a Workers’ Facilitation Centre in Gaya district to provide support services to migrant workers. As part of this initiative, we have also set up a Labour Helpline to ensure safe migration of labourers from Bihar. On June 27, the centre received a distress call on the helpline, informing that 21 persons from four Musahar families hailing from Belaganj block of Gaya – comprising four men, four women, ten girls and three boys were being forced to work as bonded labour at a brick-kiln in Siwan district of Bihar.
Soon thereafter, our regional office swung into action to verify the details and subsequently to rescue these labourers in coordination with the district administration of Siwan. On July 3, our team met with the District Magistrate, Siwan, and briefed him on the situation. The district administration was quick to constitute a rescue team comprising district-level government officials and the police. A rescue mission was initiated the same day.
On reaching the brick-kiln, the rescue team found the workers living and working in an extremely deplorable state. During the last 11 months of their bonded state, these families were harassed and subjected to hugely exploitative conditions – physically, mentally as well as financially. Even women and children were made to work for almost 12 hours a day. The labourers further shared that all that they used to get in return from the owner was Rs. 200 to Rs. 300 a week per family, which was just not sufficient for them to meet their expenses.
Following their successful rescue, all labourers received their due wages from the brick-kiln owner and safely reached their village the very next day, i.e. on July 4.