38 Indians working as bonded labourers in Nepal brick factory rescued: Police

PTI, Nov 11, 2022, 8:49 PM IST

Image Courtesy: Reuters

Kathmandu: At least 38 Indian nationals, including women and children, working as bonded labourers in a brick factory have been rescued by the Nepalese authorities from the country’s Rautahat area, police said on Friday.

The rescue operation was conducted on Wednesday after police officers in the district were informed about a group of Indians–20 men and 18 children and women– hailing from Uttar Pradesh being made to work without their consent in the Aman brick factory located in Paroha Municipality of the district. Accordingly, a police team was deployed from the area police office to rescue all of them.

”A total of 38 Indians working as bonded labourers in the brick factory have been rescued. They all hail from Uttar Pradesh,” a spokesperson of Deputy Superintendent of Police at Rautahat said.

He said that the rescued Indians were handed over to the Sashastra Seema Bal at Bairganiya in Bihar’s Sitamarhi district after the required legal and administrative paperwork. According to the police officials, hundreds of men and women from various parts of Uttar Pradesh work in brick factories in Rautahat. While many continue to work despite poor working conditions, several leave it in between to look for better opportunities in the area.

In 2013, 64 Indians, including 27 minors, working as bonded labourers in Southern Nepal were rescued by Nepalese authorities.