NHRC to probe bonded labour in U.P. brick kiln

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has directed its Director General (Investigation) to depute a team to look into the plight of bonded labourers in a brick kiln in Domanpur village of Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh.

The Commission took the decision, taking suo motu cognisance of a telecast by a television channel recently of interviews with three such labourers. The workers alleged that they were being forced to work as bonded labourers to repay their debt. If they refuse to work, they were abused and beaten. The television channel also claimed that the labourers were not aware that bonded labour was abolished by the government over 30 years ago.