New Delhi, April 13th, 2011

The National Human Rights Commission has taken suo motu cognizance of a news story telecast recently on a channel alleging that bonded labourers are working in the brick kiln in Domanpur village district Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh. The Commission has directed its Director General (Investigation) to depute a team to look into the matter.

The tele news story has shown interviews of three labourers, who are being forced to work as bonded labourers in a slave like situation in order to repay their debt. If they refuse to work, they are abused and beaten. The news story has also claimed that the labourers working in the brick kiln are not aware of the fact that the practice of bonded labour has already been abolished by the Government more than 30 years ago.

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