Twelve workers, including minors, were rescued from an alleged bonded labour racket at a disposable paper plate manufacturing factory in Mandi village of Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar district after one labourer escaped and alerted the police.
The workers alleged they were lured with promises of jobs paying ₹12,000–₹15,000 a month, but were instead confined for months, denied wages, tortured and forced to work up to 20 hours a day under inhuman conditions. Police have arrested supervisor Shiva Tyagi and another accused, while factory owner Ankit Balyan remains absconding.
The probe has now widened after several rescued workers alleged that a fellow labourer from Nepal died following torture last year and his body was secretly disposed of. Authorities have begun rehabilitation measures while continuing their investigation.
A Harrowing Tale Of Captivity
According to Senior Superintendent of Police Sanjay Kumar, a joint team of police, the labour department and district administration raided the factory after an escaped worker reached Titawi police station seeking help. Officials rescued 12 labourers, many bearing visible injury marks.
Survivors alleged that their phones and identity documents were confiscated, they were locked inside the factory compound, monitored through CCTV cameras and prevented from escaping by aggressive pit bulls. They claimed they survived on dry rotis—sometimes made from cattle feed—with salt and chilli, received little sleep, and were beaten with iron rods, belts, hammers, screwdrivers and even branded with heated objects if they slowed down, demanded wages or attempted to flee.
Some workers said they were forced to begin work around 4 am and continue until midnight, while their families believed they had disappeared or died after months without contact. Officials confirmed that all rescued workers have undergone medical examinations, counselling has been arranged and financial assistance under the Bonded Labour Rehabilitation Scheme is being processed.
Shocking bonded labour case in Muzaffarnagar, UP.
— Rupok Acharjee (@RupokAcharjee) June 25, 2026
12–13 workers rescued from a factory after allegedly being held captive for months, tortured and denied basic rights. Reports say some victims died due to the abuse.
Strict action is needed against everyone responsible. pic.twitter.com/gJUbjmxUdv
Probe Expands
Police are now investigating allegations that a Nepalese worker, identified as Arjun alias Topi, died after being tortured inside the factory while trying to escape several months ago. Rescued labourers alleged his body was stuffed into a sack and disposed of to conceal the crime.
Investigators are also examining whether the workers—who came from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Nepal—were systematically recruited from railway stations and bus stands using false promises of employment before being trafficked into forced labour.
Authorities are recording statements, collecting forensic evidence and searching for the absconding factory owner. Labour officials are coordinating with families to reunite the rescued workers and facilitate their rehabilitation, while rights advocates say the case highlights the continued existence of bonded labour despite its abolition under Indian law nearly five decades ago.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
No person should have to choose between poverty and slavery. The horrific accounts emerging from Muzaffarnagar remind us that bonded labour is not merely a legal violation—it is an assault on human dignity and fundamental rights.
While swift police action has rescued the workers, lasting justice will depend on holding every perpetrator accountable, ensuring comprehensive rehabilitation for survivors and strengthening oversight so vulnerable people are not trapped by false promises again. How can governments, employers and communities work together to ensure that every worker is treated with dignity, safety and respect, regardless of where they come from?
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For their time in captivity where they were tortured and fed Roti made of cattle feed and salt at a factory in UP's Muzaffarnagar, the 12 freed bonded labourers are have their first hot meal in close to two years. The lunch courtsey UP police was served by cops. pic.twitter.com/I6gaxDFCOn
— Piyush Rai (@Benarasiyaa) June 25, 2026
