Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), has written a letter to the Punjab Govt based on a report of Border Security Force (BSF) wherein the force has informed the ministry that they had apprehended 58 Indian nationals from the border areas who were given drugs & forced to work as bonded labourers.
The MHA said that "Border Security Force has informed the ministry that they had apprehended 58 Indian nationals from the border areas of Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Ferozepur & Abohar Punjab in the years 2019 & 2020. During the course of questioning, it emerged that most of them were either mentally challenged or were in a feeble state of mind & have been working as bonded labourers with farmers in border villages of Punjab".
The MHA has further informed that the persons apprehended belong to low-income background & hail from remote areas of Bihar & Uttar Pradesh.
The Ministry said, "It has been further informed that human trafficking syndicates hire such labourers from their native place to work in Punjab on the promise of good salary but after reaching Punjab, they were exploited, paid poorly & meted out inhuman treatment. For making them work for long hours in fields, these labourers are often given drugs, which adversely affect their physical & mental condition".
The BSF has been handing over the rescued persons to state police for further necessary action.
"Keeping in view the multi-dimensional & overwhelming enormity of the problem, which involves human trafficking, bonded labour & human rights violation, you are requested to look into the matter & take appropriate measures to address this serious problem," MHA has said while asking for action taken report.
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