NHRC asks Delhi police to trace 30 missing bonded labourers

NEW DELHI, JAN 15: National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has asked the deputy commissioner of New Delhi and city police chief to take i...

NEW DELHI, JAN 15: National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has asked the deputy commissioner of New Delhi and city police chief to take immediate action to trace 30 bonded labourers, allegedly missing after they were rescued from a contractor engaged by Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL).

Acting on complaints by Swami Agnivesh, chairman of Bonded Labour Liberation Front (BLLF), the NHRC directed that the action taken by the police chief and the deputy commissioner be communicated to it within a week.

Agnivesh, in his petition, had alleged that several persons engaged by Gypsum Structurals India (P) Ltd, a contractor of MTNL, were identified as bonded labourers by the deputy commissioner of New Delhi at the intervention of the BLLF.

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He sought rehabilitation of the released bonded labourers in accordance with the provisions of the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act.

In another complaint on January 7, Agnivesh alleged that 30 of the 45 released bonded labourers in respect of whom proceedings wereinitiated, had been whisked away to an unknown destination at the instance of the contractor, halting further proceedings.

The NHRC directed its director general (investigation) to take immediate steps to forward both the petitions to the deputy commissioner of New Delhi and city police commissioner requiring immediate action for tracing and recovering the labourers alleged to be missing.

Though the EC’s media invitation did not specify the subject, officials said the briefing would pertain to the SIR schedule. (File)

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