A team of officials from the Revenue Department on Thursday found about 100 youth, aged between 21 and 26, working in inhuman conditions in a factory on Hosur Road. The surprise inspection followed a direction from the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC), which had received a complaint alleging that the company had employed bonded labourers.
A majority of the employees, who are from different parts of the country including Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Tripura, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar and northern parts of Karnataka, claimed to be diploma holders and had been appointed as interns with a remuneration of Rs 8,500 per month for eight hours of work every day, Tahsildar (Enforcement), Revenue Department, Chudamani told The Hindu .
Officials found that the employees were sleeping on the rooftop over empty cartons. “There were no wash rooms or other amenities, which clearly showed human rights violations,” Ms. Chudamani said. Employees claimed that they had been given strict instructions against venturing out of the premises.
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The officials have summoned company officials for an explanation.