We ate cattle feed and slept two hours: Rescued labourers recount horror

Twelve bonded labourers, including minors, were rescued from a factory in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar after allegedly enduring months of confinement, torture, starvation and forced labour. Workers claimed they were lured with job promises, denied wages, beaten regularly and threatened with dogs and weapons

Muzaffarnagar (UP): They hadn’t seen vegetables in months, their rotis were made of cattle feed and they could sleep for no more than two-three hours. And that was just a snippet of the lives of the 12 bonded labourers rescued from a factory who recalled in harrowing detail their months of captivity and torture.

The worker’s account offers a glimpse into the conditions inside the factory in Mandi village, where labourers from several states alleged they were lured with promises of jobs and accommodation, only to find themselves trapped behind locked gates and forced to work under constant surveillance.

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On Thursday, officials at Titawi police station served food to the rescued labourers, many of whom bore visible injury marks on their legs, backs and waists. The workers, some of whom had been separated from their families for months, were seen eating meals provided by the police after their rescue earlier this week.

Twelve bonded labourers, including minors, bearing visible torture marks and injuries on their bodies, were rescued from the factory on Tuesday following a raid conducted by the administration and the police. The labourers were allegedly kept in inhuman conditions and were not paid the promised monthly wages, the police said.

For months, and in some cases more than a year, the workers lived behind locked gates, surviving on rotis made from chaff used for animal feed, sleeping for only a few hours and allegedly enduring routine beatings, threats and attacks by dogs.

Many were recruited from railway stations and bus stands with promises of monthly salaries of Rs 12,000-15,000, food, accommodation and eight-hour shifts.

Instead, they allege, they were locked inside the factory compound, stripped of their phones and identity documents, denied wages and forced to work almost round the clock.

“We were promised three meals a day, accommodation and an eight-hour duty,” Sonu Chauhan of Agra, who had left home six months ago looking for work, told PTI videos.

According to Sonu, the gates were locked soon after he arrived.
“From the next day, we were made to work continuously. If we felt sleepy, we were beaten with belts. We were given only three or four rotis in 24 hours. We never saw vegetables or dal. We ate rotis made from bran meant for cattle, with salt and red chilli,” he said.

The workers said a typical day began before dawn and stretched late into the night. Ramu, a resident of Nainital in Uttarakhand, alleged that labourers were made to start work around 4 am and continue till midnight.

“We got only two or three hours to sleep. Even if someone was sick, there was no leave. We were told we would not leave the place alive,” he said.

According to the workers, their tasks included operating disposable-plate machines, counting finished products, packaging them in plastic covers and filling sacks.

“There was never a moment when we were allowed to sit idle,” one worker said. The factory compound, they alleged, was designed to make escape nearly impossible. Workers described high boundary walls, multiple locked gates, CCTV cameras and pitbull dogs stationed inside and outside the premises.

“Inside there were cameras, outside there were cameras. There were dogs everywhere. We could not even think of escaping,” a rescued worker told investigators.

Several labourers alleged they were routinely assaulted for slowing down, making mistakes or discussing escape plans. According to their accounts, supervisors used belts, sticks and other objects to beat them. Some workers bore visible injury marks on their backs, waists and legs when they were rescued.

The workers also alleged that pitbull dogs were used to intimidate them and were sometimes set upon those attempting to flee. “The dogs were fed better than us. They got milk and meat. We got dry rotis,” one labourer said.

The police have said the rescued workers reported being beaten, stabbed with spears, whipped, bitten by dogs and fed animal fodder.

The fear among them deepened with stories of workers who allegedly disappeared. Rescued labourers told the police that Nepalese worker Arjun, also known as Topi, died after being tortured inside the factory in November last year.

The police on Thursday said a fresh case had been registered after workers alleged that Arjun died due to torture and his body was later disposed of after being packed in a bag.

Some workers claimed they witnessed others being beaten severely.
“There was a pistol kept there. Sometimes shots were fired into a wall to scare us. We were told that if we spoke to anyone, we would meet the same fate,” a worker alleged.

The ordeal extended beyond the factory walls and into the homes of the labourers. For months, their families had no idea where these labourers were.

Mahak Singh, who travelled from Rajasthan after receiving a call from the police about his brother Vikram, said the family had searched for him for months.

“His phone stopped working. We contacted relatives and friends but nobody knew where he was. My mother fell ill due to stress. When we finally saw him, he looked completely different,” he said.

A relative of another rescued worker from Bihar said the family had almost lost hope. “We thought something terrible had happened. He had not called for months. Now he is back, but the physical and mental trauma is visible,” he said.

The workers’ release came after one of them allegedly managed to escape through an opening and reached Titawi police station. The police and labour department officials reached the factory, where 12 labourers, including minors, were rescued.

For many, freedom arrived with an emotional reunion. At the police lines and Titawi police station, family members broke down as they met relatives they once believed were missing or dead. Some said they had filed missing-person complaints after losing contact with their loved ones for months.

Officials said all 12 workers have undergone medical examinations and are receiving treatment. Counselling by psychiatrists has been arranged, efforts are underway to reunite them with their families, and rehabilitation measures have been initiated under government schemes.

According to officials, four workers have already been reunited with their families while efforts are underway to trace the relatives of the others.

The labour department is processing rehabilitation assistance under the bonded labour rehabilitation scheme and facilitating the opening of bank accounts for workers who do not have them.

Assistant Labour Commissioner Devesh Singh told PTI that each rescued labourer would be provided financial assistance under the rehabilitation scheme.

Police have arrested supervisor Shiva Tyagi, while factory owner Ankit Balyan remains absconding. A team has been formed to investigate the case, including allegations surrounding the death of Arjun and the treatment of the rescued labourers.