Congress leaders Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi have condemned the recent bonded labour case in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar district, terming it an 'assault on human dignity'. The case came to light after 12 workers were freed from a factory where they were allegedly confined, tortured, and forced to work for months without wages.
Rahul Gandhi linked the case to the lack of jobs and the weakening of safeguards like MGNREGA and labor laws, saying that desperation mounts when jobs dry up and incomes stall.
The police have arrested two people and are searching for the factory owner, who is absconding. The rescued workers came from various states, including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Nepal, and some had been held at the factory for nearly one-and-a-half years.
