15-year-old's exploitation: Arrest employer, plan rehab for amputee victim, says Haryana rights panel

The Haryana Human Rights Commission has taken suo motu cognisance of a disturbing report concerning the inhuman exploitation of a 15-year-old boy in a bonded labour case involving Jind and Nuh districts.

According to the report, the boy, a resident of Kishanganj district in Bihar, was lured into bonded labour under the false promise of employment by an employer in Jind. The child reportedly got separated from his friends at the Bahadurgarh railway station, where he came into contact with an unknown person who offered him work at a buffalo dairy with a promised salary of Rs 10,000 per month. Instead of legal employment, the minor was subjected to two months of forced labour and physical abuse.

The situation worsened when the child suffered a severe injury while cutting fodder. The employer abandoned him at an isolated spot without any assistance. Somehow, the injured boy managed to reach Nuh, where a teacher came to his rescue, provided medical help at a local health centre, and informed the police.

The commission Bench, comprising Chairperson Justice Lalit Batra and members Kuldip Jain and Deep Bhatia, expressed grave concern over this incident. The commission has issued directions to the authorities concerned in the two districts to identify and arrest the accused, and check bonded labour practices at the dairy establishment. It has sought a detailed medical report of the injured child and preparation of a rehabilitation plan besides asking for a thorough inquiry into possible violations of labour laws.

The commission fixed the next hearing for November 4.

The facts of the incident involving the child reveal not only physical harm and violation of human dignity but also a complete breakdown of protective mechanisms meant to safeguard children from such exploitation. The boy survived without food, water or medical care for several days.

Justice Batra noted that such treatment of a minor amounted to a clear violation of international legal obligations, particularly Article 32 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. He said it mandated protection of children from economic exploitation and from performing work likely to be hazardous or harmful to their health, education or development.

The treatment also prima facie violates several domestic laws, including the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976, and the Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986.

Furthermore, the commission observed that, if proven true, these allegations amounted to a gross violation of fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 21 and 23 of the Indian Constitution, which ensure the right to live with dignity and prohibit human trafficking and forced labour. The failure to detect and prevent this incident in time raises serious concerns about monitoring and rescue mechanisms in vulnerable migration corridors.

Considering the gravity of the allegations and the victim’s vulnerable condition, the commission held that the case required urgent and comprehensive investigation, ensuring accountability of those responsible and providing the victim appropriate medical, psychological and rehabilitation support.