Campaign for the Liberation of Bonded Labourers​
'Voice of Voiceless'
Ending Bondage, Restoring Freedom and Dignity.
Bandhua Mukti Morcha has undertaken a sustained campaign to identify, liberate and rehabilitate bonded labourers living under conditions of exploitation, coercion and economic bondage. The campaign combines grassroots investigation, intervention with government authorities, liberation operations, legal action and long-term rehabilitation support.
For the organisation, liberation does not end when a worker leaves the place of exploitation. It also means securing official recognition, immediate assistance, rehabilitation, livelihood opportunities and protection from falling back into bondage.
Who are bonded labourers, how many are there, and where?
A bonded labourer is the last person in society who is a human being only in name. He cannot go anywhere without the owner’s permission. Forget about wages, even how much he will eat and wear is decided according to how much the owner wants. In exchange for the petty debts of their grandfathers and great-grandfathers, the entire family, including women and children, works day and night, but far from being freed from the debt, thousands of rupees are instead shown as being owed by the labourer to the owner in the owner’s account book.
In 1950, the Constitution of India prohibited forced labour of any kind. Through the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act of 1976, it was completely prohibited. Yet, a joint investigation by reputed institutions such as the Gandhi Peace Foundation and the National Labour Institute, a government institution, had established years earlier that the number of bonded labourers in the country would certainly be more than 68 lakh.
In fields and farms, at brick kilns, in stone mines, in construction work, in bidi and match factories, in the carpet industry, and in work such as extracting bark from trees in forests, even after the country’s independence, millions of people have remained slaves of their own fellow countrymen.
How We Identify Bonded Labour
The campaign begins with information gathering and verification.
Bandhua Mukti Morcha receives information from its field workers, social organisations and, importantly, workers themselves. Once information about possible bonded labour is received, trained and trusted members conduct discreet investigations to establish the facts before approaching the authorities.
In one documented case involving workers from Odisha, the organisation conducted a discreet investigation before approaching the administration. Because security guards restricted access to the workplace, a field worker entered by adopting the role of a local informal doctor and subsequently gathered information from workers. The investigation helped establish the conditions under which the workers were being held.
This approach reflects an important principle of the campaign:
Methods of Liberation
Our approaches to securing the freedom of bonded workers combine legal intervention, social mobilisation, community engagement, documentation, advocacy, and sustained support. We identify bonded labourers, assist them in accessing their rights, engage authorities and stakeholders, and support rescue and rehabilitation efforts to help workers achieve lasting freedom, dignity, security, and independence.
1st Method - Direct Intervention with Employers
Morcha office-bearers contact the owner who has made the workers bonded, through a letter, telephone or direct conversation, and through persuasion get the outstanding payment of the labourer paid and have him released. This method is adopted only when there is some irregularity in payment by the owner or some other kind of mistreatment, and when there is a firm opportunity for employment elsewhere. Even then, matters rarely get settled because those who keep bonded labourers are often of a criminal disposition and have powerful connections, and are not easily brought under control.
2nd Method - Immediate Rescue Operations
The second method is used only as an exception, when the oppression becomes completely unbearable. Without waiting for any other action, the Morcha, along with vehicles and its entire team and force, conducts a raid and brings the bonded labourers along with it. Morcha workers carry out this risky work by, in a way, putting their own lives at stake.
3rd Method - Intervention Through Government Authorities
Legally, the District Magistrate, Sub-Divisional Magistrate and other equivalent officers appointed by the District Collector, such as Assistant District Magistrates, etc., are authorised for the identification and liberation of bonded labourers. The Morcha puts pressure for immediate action by submitting a written complaint to the concerned officer along with concrete information.
If there is even a slight delay and the owner gets a hint, he either makes the labourers flee or persuades them to give statements in his favour through inducement or fear. Therefore, after a complaint is made, Morcha workers do not allow even a moment’s interval until the liberation has taken place. They also secretly keep watch over the workplaces of bonded labourers.
If there is delay, negligence or partiality in the action, senior Morcha office-bearers get the correct action carried out by obtaining directions from the District Collector, Chief Secretary, Home Minister, Chief Minister, Labour Secretary, etc.
Along with liberation, every adult labourer is immediately given a release certificate and assistance of â‚ą2,000. The Morcha uses this third method the most.
4th Method - Legal Intervention
After complete disappointment with administrative action, the state unit of the Morcha files a petition in the High Courts. Many times, the Morcha has also knocked on the doors of the Supreme Court. On such petitions, the court generally appoints a non-government commissioner. Until the Commissioner’s investigation is completed, Morcha workers keep watch to protect the labourers from the owner’s terror and to ensure that the owner cannot make them flee.
From Liberation to Rehabilitation
The bonded labourer family is sent to the district of its choice, where a residential plot is immediately provided free of cost and a house is constructed under government housing schemes, etc. Along with this, financial assistance of â‚ą20,000 is provided for various items required for livelihood. For employment, loans are provided, and according to qualifications, the highest priority is given in government services and works.
This is the declared rehabilitation package, but obtaining it is like chewing iron gram with one’s teeth. There is no question of freed bonded labourers having knowledge of these matters, but many times even the officials do not have proper information about them.
Due to administrative neglect and carelessness, even after tireless efforts, getting the entire money and facilities of the rehabilitation package provided on time is a task even more difficult than liberation.
Our Approach
In industries where a large number of bonded labourers are found together, the Morcha tries to carry out public education, organisation and struggle there. In the context of Rajasthan, we are making intensive efforts towards public awareness in stone mines and brick kilns.
The most important thing is to have the support of public opinion. Among intellectuals and people who write, read and speak, our support base is kept continuously active on this issue mainly through various seminars, discussions, leaflets, posters, booklets, etc. Because this work is full of hard work, risk and excitement, most of our workers are naturally hardworking.
The third and most important group is that of poor workers from the unorganised sector, including young and old, women and men, Dalits, Bhils, Banjaras, Sansis, Muslims and the poorest people belonging to almost all communities. The Morcha advances the steps of struggle through a system for them and by them.
The Thorny Paths of Our Struggle
In the early days of this campaign led by Swami Agnivesh Ji, a case even of murder was filed against Swami Ji. The Morcha’s office located at Haryana Bhawan was sealed. In 1985, our fellow campaigner Ghoomdas was murdered during the struggle in the stone mines of Faridabad. Thirty-six people were injured.
In 1983–84–85, Swami Ji continuously raised this issue before the United Nations, and angered by this, the Government of India seized Swami Ji’s passport in 1985. Later, due to heavy national and international pressure, it had to be returned.
Swami Ji faced several attempts on his life and was subjected to mistreatment many times. The head of the Morcha’s General Secretary, Professor Shyotaj Singh, was split open and one of his legs was broken. He returned after coming face to face with death.
Rajesh Yajnik was also threatened with death in 1997 by the owner of a crusher who was accused of keeping bonded labourers, and he was continuously threatened for four days. Twice, newspapers published reports in which big capitalists and criminals, through conspiracies, attempted to tarnish his image by publishing baseless material. The Press Council of India, while delivering justice, reprimanded the concerned newspaper.
The biggest difficulty is economic. Even if we leave aside the question of the livelihood of Morcha workers, until the middle class and even the somewhat prosperous sections of society understand their responsibility in running this entire campaign, the struggle for justice for the poor will continue to become more difficult. Please take note.
Documented Liberation Operations
Our documented liberation operations span several decades and cover numerous cases of bonded labour. These records highlight the diverse workplaces, industries, and circumstances in which bonded labour was identified. They also demonstrate the breadth of our efforts to identify, intervene, and secure freedom for workers trapped in exploitative and coercive conditions.
1995
Liberation from the Stone Quarries of Vallabhgarh
On 13 September 1995, with the cooperation of the District Collector of Bharatpur, 28 people from 6 families who had been living a life of bondage for three years were liberated from the stone quarries of Vallabhgarh in Bayana Tehsil of Bharatpur district.
They were liberated by suddenly conducting a raid at the stone quarry along with a police force. The raiding team included Bayana Sub-Divisional Magistrate Shri C. L. Verma, National General Secretary of the Morcha Prof. Shyotaj Singh, National Executive Committee Member Shri Virjanand, and State President Shri Rajesh Yajnik.
The complete rehabilitation of all these six families was carried out in Seel village of Mundawar Tehsil, Alwar district.
1996
Liberation of 35 Oriya Workers from Silicon Industries India Limited
In a factory under construction situated in Chawdi village on the Tijara-Tapukda road, only 70 kilometres from the Alwar district headquarters, 35 bonded workers from various districts of Orissa, mainly Puri, were liberated.
On 26 July 1996, on the instructions of the then District Magistrate Shri Deepak Upreti, Kishangarh Bas Sub-Divisional Officer Shri Akhil Arora (I.A.S.), accompanied by a team from the Morcha and a police force, raided the factory.
On seeing the administration and police, the workers burst into tears and pleaded to be taken away from there. Most of them did not know how to speak Hindi. Two of their companions, Trinath and Jena, could speak and understand some Hindi.
Their condition was such that they were working at the time of the raid. There was no clothing on their bodies above the waist, and they had only a angochha tied around their waist below. Looking at their impoverished condition, no one could remain unmoved. At first sight, anyone could tell that the workers had certainly been subjected to severe oppression.
The young Sub-Divisional Officer showed sensitivity and gathered all the workers and recorded their statements.
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What emerged from the statements:
Statements of the other side were also recorded. Sudhir Nayak, the interpreter who had accompanied the Morcha, translated the workers’ Oriya language into English.
After recording the statements of all concerned parties, the following story emerged in brief:
About two and a half months before the raid, a contractor had brought 35 workers from Orissa at a fixed wage of ₹60 per day and two meals separately, at his own expense.
For one and a half months, he made the workers work without paying wages and only gave them money sufficient for food. One day, when a worker demanded his wages, he was beaten mercilessly, causing blood to flow from his ear and resulting in loss of hearing.
The contractor then allegedly fled after taking an advance. These workers now became direct slaves of the company constructing the factory, Teka Estate.
They were given money only to purchase rice and pulses so that they could remain alive. When they demanded wages, they were told:
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“Your contractor has run away with our money. Until that amount is repaid, you will receive no money and you will not be allowed to leave. Keep working quietly.”
One day, they did not work in protest. They were not given money for food, and the workers remained hungry for two days. Being compelled by hunger, they resumed work, after which they were given money for rice and other necessities.
Being unfamiliar with the local language, the workers did not even know whether, after coming out of the factory gate, the road to Delhi was to the left or the right.
Distressed, one of them wrote a letter to a relative asking him to somehow take them away from there. Two of their relatives then went to the Morcha’s central office in Delhi and informed them about the situation.
Following instructions from the Delhi office, action for their liberation was undertaken in Alwar.
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How the Investigation Was Conducted:
After receiving information that workers were bonded, the organisation conducts a secret investigation at its own level before carrying out the liberation.
Only after the information is found to be true are the concerned administrative officers informed and a raid conducted.
The Morcha’s method of conducting such investigations is different in different cases and depends considerably on the circumstances. Experienced and trustworthy workers are sent for this purpose.
An investigation before liberation was also conducted in the above case.
There was a security guard stationed at the factory gate. A method was therefore adopted. One worker disguised himself as a local informal doctor. By chance, he had some medicines in his pocket. After introducing himself to the security guard, he entered by saying that someone inside was ill.
After entering, seeing the actual situation and understanding the entire matter, he returned and also brought one person with him, from whom all the information was obtained.
1996
Liberation of 16 Bonded Labour Families from Deva Stone Crusher, Matila
On 14 December 1996 at 10 a.m., a six-member team of Bandhua Mukti Morcha met the then District Magistrate Shri Deepak Upreti at Bhiwadi with a complaint regarding bonded labourers at a place in Bhiwadi.
In the absence of the Kishangarh Bas Sub-Divisional Officer, the District Magistrate gave the necessary instructions over the telephone to Bhiwadi Deputy Superintendent of Police Shri Nath Singh.
He gave written instructions on the complaint and returned it, after which the Morcha team proceeded from there.
The raiding team included Morcha State President Shri Rajesh Yajnik, then District President Shri Mamraj Saini, other workers and Rajasthan Patrika correspondent Shri Ashutosh Sharma.
After meeting the Bhiwadi Deputy Superintendent of Police, he assigned Bhiwadi S.H.O. Shri Sukhbir Singh Solankito accompany the team.
At 3 p.m., a raid was conducted at Deva Stone Crusher with a police team.
There they found some small children, some children grazing goats in the hills, three or four women and one sick elderly worker. The others were said to have gone to the quarry to break stones.
The stern voice of the Station House Officer frightened everyone. Statements of the workers were recorded. The quarry owner’s statement was also recorded.
Shri Yajnik and four other colleagues went towards the quarry to bring the workers. At 6 p.m., all the workers returned from the quarry to the crusher.
Statements of some more workers were recorded.
The quarry owner claimed that ₹96,000 was outstanding against the workers and repeatedly stated that he had paid ₹2.10 lakh, but did not produce any account books or documents.
According to the workers’ statements, when the accounts were calculated, they had already done work worth ₹2.25 lakh, but no proper account of this had been made. They had only been given “kharcha” — in the workers’ language, kharcha means money for food.
The quarry owner stated that if his â‚ą96,000 were repaid, he could allow them to leave.
In the preliminary investigation, these workers were found to be bonded labourers. They were liberated and brought to Alwar by truck at 10 p.m. They were left at Indira Gandhi Stadium, after which the police returned.
The liberated group consisted of 80 members from 16 families, including 16 adult men, 16 adult women and 8 child labourers.
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How the Investigation Was Conducted:
On 13 December 1996, a team of the organisation went there to verify whether bonded labourers were actually present.
Deva Stone Crusher is situated in Matila village on the right side of the Tapukda-Bhiwadi road, six kilometres before Bhiwadi.
There were large machines raising clouds of dust and, nearby, small brick houses resembling enclosures for animals.
About 17 families had been brought there a few months earlier from the stone quarries of Naurangpur in Haryanaand kept there.
Since it was afternoon, most of the men and women had gone to the quarry. They were taken there in trucks in the morning and brought back in the evening.
Eight to ten half-naked children, two or three women and one sick man were the only ones left there.
The stone quarry also belonged to the same owner.
Keeping their identity concealed, information was gathered by speaking with the crusher owner’s men, a boy running a nearby tea stall and a clerk who had recently been dismissed by the owner.
These workers belonged to the Banjara community. Their possessions consisted of five goats, bundles of firewood and their traditional utensils used for cooking and eating.
The place was far from the village settlement.
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How the Exploitation Continued:
They had been brought from Naurangpur to Matila on the promise that they would receive ₹110 per truck for extracting stone.
The same owner also had quarries on the Tapukda-Nuh Road.
Since the quarries were new, the upper layer of soil had to be removed to make them suitable for extracting stone. It had also been agreed that ₹5,000 would be paid for preparing each quarry.
Thus, encouraged by the prospect of good wages, the workers prepared 45 quarries.
When stone extraction began, the owner went back on his promise and did not account for ₹2.25 lakh, while reducing the wage to ₹60 per truck, which one family could fill during an entire day.
Instead, an outstanding amount of ₹96,000 was shown against the workers, because of which they were held in bondage.
After working at the quarry, they also had to work at the crusher until late at night.
The owner’s men kept complete watch over them at both the quarry and the crusher.
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Chronology of the Liberation:
14 December 1996 — The Morcha’s secret investigation team confirmed that the workers were bonded.
15 December 1996 — A raid was conducted at the stone crusher and stone quarry. The liberated bonded workers were accommodated at Indira Gandhi Stadium in Alwar.
16 December 1996 — The Alwar District Magistrate handed over the investigation to the then Additional District Magistrate Shri Rajesh Goyal. A case was registered against the crusher owner at Bhiwadi Police Station.
17 December 1996 — The investigation was completed. The administration declared the workers bonded. With the cooperation of local traders, blankets were distributed to the liberated workers and arrangements for food were made. Release certificates and immediate assistance were distributed.
18 December 1996 — The enraged crusher owner came to Alwar and intimidated and threatened the workers. He threatened to kill Shri Yajnik. An emergency meeting of Morcha workers was held and the District Magistrate was informed.
19 December 1996 — Shri Yajnik again received a threatening telephone call. Various people’s organisations strongly condemned the incident and demanded the arrest of the quarry owner.
19 December 1996 — The entire incident received extensive coverage in local and national newspapers. A Doordarshan team interviewed the workers and Shri Yajnik.
20 December 1996 — A report was registered against the quarry owner. Yajnik was provided full security by the then Superintendent of Police Shri Dalpat Singh Dinkar.
21 December 1996 — The administration began the rehabilitation process.
7 January 1997 — The quarry owner threatened Shri Yajnik for the third time. He was eventually arrested.
19 January 1997 — Rehabilitation of the liberated workers began in Dahra village near Vijay Mandir Lake. The foundation excavation for the establishment of “Mukti Gram” began.
For all these families, houses were constructed under the Indira Awas Yojana, arrangements were made for water through boring and tanks, a primary school was provided, electricity was provided to all houses, and loans and grants were arranged for livelihood activities such as animal husbandry.
1997
Liberation of 18 Bonded Workers from a Brick Kiln in Mandhan Village, Behror
On 14 November 1997, following information provided by Bandhua Mukti Morcha, 18 bonded workers from five families were liberated from a brick kiln located in Mandhan village of Behror town, Alwar district.
These workers, belonging to Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh, had been brought to Shiv Bricks in Mandhan in May 1997.
However, payment of wages had been stopped from July.
The kiln owner neither paid them wages nor allowed them to leave.
All of them belonged to the Jatav community.
On the initiative of the Morcha, the then Sub-Divisional Officer of Behror Shri J. P. Bunkar conducted a raid, obtained release certificates for them and sent them to their home districts the following day.
1998
Liberation of 22 Bonded Labour Families from a Brick Kiln in Kathumar, Alwar
On 8 January 1998, Bandhua Mukti Morcha, along with the full administrative and police team, conducted a raid at Gandhi Brick Kiln in Basai village of Kathumar Tehsil under the Laxmangarh Sub-Division, along with Sub-Divisional Officer Shri Vishram Meena.
In this raid, 99 members of 22 families were liberated, including 42 women and men, consisting of 22 men, 20 women and several child labourers.
Before this, on 7 January, Bandhua Mukti Morcha had submitted a written complaint to the District Magistrate stating that bonded labourers were present there. The District Magistrate instructed the concerned Sub-Divisional Officer to take immediate necessary action.
These workers belonging to the Jatav community had been brought from districts such as Hathras, Aligarh and Mathura in Uttar Pradesh.
They had been brought with the promise of ₹100 per thousand bricks, but they were not even receiving ₹50 per thousand bricks as wages.
They were forced to work and were not allowed to go outside the boundary of the brick kiln.
They were not even allowed to participate in the Pulse Polio campaign to take their children to receive medicine.
They were kept packed into rooms made by placing approximately six thousand bricks one over another.
After recording the statements of all the workers and the other side, the Sub-Divisional Officer declared them bonded and brought them to the district headquarters after liberating them.
After completing the necessary formalities, the district administration provided each adult with ₹1,000 immediate assistance and a release certificate.
This was the first occasion when, at the insistence of the Morcha, the administration issued release certificates by treating each woman and man as a separate unit.
Until then, administrative officers had been issuing certificates by treating the family as a single unit.
The next day, all the liberated workers were sent to their home districts.
The Alwar Collector also sent faxes to the Collectors of the concerned districts regarding rehabilitation.
The raid was led by Morcha State President Shri Rajesh Yajnik, along with his team.
1998
Liberation of 60 Families and 182 Workers from the Stone Quarries of Kota
The Morcha freed 60 families who had been living a life of slavery for years.
The condition of these workers working in the stone quarries of Abheda village in Kota, Rajasthan’s industrial city, was so bad that it cannot be expressed merely by writing about it.
These bonded labourers came from areas including Guna, Vidisha, Raisen and Sagar in Madhya Pradesh; Maharashtra; and Baran and Jhalawar in Rajasthan.
All of them had been working in these stone quarries for 10 to 15 years.
These workers could not travel elsewhere because they were burdened with debts of thousands of rupees owed to the contractors.
Whenever they said they wanted to go to their villages, they were told that their accounts would have to be settled.
Since they had no money, they were forced to make huts there and continue working as bonded labourers.
The contractors made them work day and night whenever they wanted.
If they refused to go to work because of illness, they were beaten.
Some of them had come here with their parents when they were children and had grown up here.
On the initiative of Bandhua Mukti Morcha Rajasthan, the Kota administration liberated them on 29 January 1998, provided them with release certificates and ₹1,000 immediate assistance.
Most were sent to their preferred locations, their home districts. However, 18 families expressed a desire to settle in Alwar.
The Morcha members therefore brought them to Alwar.
With the active efforts of the local unit and the cooperation of the district administration, residential plots were provided to them in Alwar.
Loans were arranged from various banks for employment, and handcarts were provided to them.
After living for approximately one year in the fully equipped night shelter of the Urban Improvement Trust, they left Alwar one day without informing anyone.
Perhaps the climate and water of the place did not suit them, or they may have become disappointed because of the excessive delay by the administration in their rehabilitation, or they may have become frightened by the strong opposition to their settlement in Ravan Dehra, and therefore migrated from there.
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Most Miserable Condition:
Of all the bonded workers liberated so far, these workers were found in the most inhuman conditions.
They had been trapped in the clutches of stone-quarry contractors for eight to ten years.
Those who had been young at that time had now grown old, and the children had become adults. Yet their debt had still not been repaid.
Nominally, they were to receive ₹100 for extracting one truck of stone, but after deductions for explosives, fuse, cap, etc., they generally had to fill the truck almost free of charge.
The entire family worked hard throughout the day, yet only ₹20–25 in wages could be earned, and even that was subject to the contractor’s accounts.
They had perhaps not bathed for months.
Everyone’s clothes were extremely dirty and smelled bad, and there was a thick layer of dirt on their bodies.
For drinking water, they used foul-smelling rainwater collected in pits among the rocks.
Overall, the scene was such that they were human beings only in name; otherwise, the exploiters had left no stone unturned in keeping them like animals.
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The Quarry Area:
The place from which these workers were rescued is a stronghold of the stone-quarry owners of Kota.
Rocks were spread across a deserted, level area as far as the eye could see.
It was difficult to estimate the number of workers there.
While walking, one would suddenly come across a pit where an entire family could be found breaking stones.
From time to time, explosions of explosives disturbed the silence of the area.
There was no source of drinking water.
In some places, workers breaking stones drank foul-smelling rainwater collected in pits.
Thousands of workers work here.
Near the pits were small huts made by placing small stones one above another.
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Received Extensive Media Coverage:
The liberation operation in Kota received extensive coverage in both electronic and print media.
On 29 January, local, regional and national newspapers prominently published the news.
Some even wrote editorials.
On 29 January itself, when release certificates and immediate assistance were being provided to the workers at Kunhadi Police Station, the “Sanchay” team of Rajasthan Patrika TV interviewed the workers, Morcha office-bearers and administrative officers.
The broadcast took place on 9 February.
On 2 February, the entire liberation operation was prominently shown in regional and national news by Jaipur and Delhi Doordarshan.
It was also broadcast on DD-1 in the programme “Aankhon Dekhi”.
On 16 February, a BBC TV team from London came to Alwar and Albert Clarke prepared a report on the matter and interviewed Shri Yajnik.
The report was also carried on CNN and Star Channel.
We regret that they migrated from here before their rehabilitation work could reach its final stage. Nevertheless, there is also satisfaction that, from their liberation to their rehabilitation, the organisation invested the greatest amount of time, labour and money, and thus made every possible effort from its side.
1998
Liberation of 25 People from 5 Families in Chuhadpur Village, Tijara, Alwar
In December 1998, the organisation received information that bonded workers were trapped in the stone quarries of Chuhadpur village in Tijara Tehsil of Alwar district.
After preliminary confirmation, a letter was submitted to the District Magistrate requesting the liberation of the bonded workers. The District Magistrate immediately instructed the Tijara Sub-Divisional Officer to take action.
In December, Tijara Sub-Divisional Officer Shri Harishankar Goyal, accompanied by the Morcha team and staff, along with a police force, raided the stone crusher.
There were nine crushers at the foothills of the hills in this village adjoining the Haryana border. At one of the crushers, five Banjara families were being kept in bondage.
These workers had come approximately two years earlier to contractors named Dinu and Tahir, but they were neither paid nor allowed to go anywhere.
For the past three months, they had not received even a single rupee.
After a liberation operation lasting six hours, they were liberated late at night and brought to the Alwar headquarters.
As soon as the raiding team arrived, the contractor, crusher owner and jamadar fled with the records. They were later caught by the police and produced before the S.D.M.
The following day, nine adults — four men and five women — were provided ₹1,000 immediate assistance each and release certificates by the district administration.
These workers expressed a desire to settle in Dausa district, and they were therefore handed over to the Dausa District Collector.
Under the Morcha’s follow-up programme, their “Mukti Gram” has already been established at Sainthal in Dausa.
Their Indira Awas houses have been completed there and loans have also been arranged for self-employment.
1999
Liberation of 9 Bonded Families from Balaji Bricks, Nangla Rund, Behror
On 29 June 1999, nine bonded families were liberated from Balaji Bricks, located in Nangla Rund village of Behror Sub-Division, Alwar district.
On the written complaint of Bandhua Mukti Morcha, a raid was conducted on the instructions of Sub-Divisional Magistrate Shri Harji Ram Atal by A.C.M. Shri Jaswant Singh and Tehsildar Shri Hanuman Prasad Meena.
All the liberated workers belonged to the Harijan community and were residents of districts including Sikar, Laxmangarh, Khetri and Jhunjhunu.
They were provided release certificates and ₹500 immediate assistance and sent to their home districts.
They included six women and three men.
1999
Liberation of 12 People from Kalwad Sub-Tehsil, Jaipur
On 16 December 1999, six families comprising 12 people were liberated from Kalwad Sub-Tehsil of Jaipur district.
Following a complaint that bonded workers were present at the location, Bhomaram Bhil and Shri Brajraj Sharma of Jaipur were jointly sent to conduct a secret investigation. The information was found to be correct.
A written complaint was subsequently submitted to Jaipur District Collector Shrimant Pandey.
He took action and instructed Smt. Gayatri Rathore, I.A.S. officer.
S.D.M. Smt. Rathore raided the institution on 16 December 1999 and liberated six families comprising seven men and five women belonging to the Gameti Bhil community.
Five families belonged to the Bhil community and one family belonged to the Meena community.
They were provided release certificates and immediate assistance.
Their rehabilitation has since been completed in Silora village of Kishangarh Sub-Division in Ajmer district.
As part of this, Indira Awas houses for all six families have been completed, and loans have been arranged for employment.
Those involved in the liberation operation included Shri Rajesh Yajnik, Advocate Renu Gupta, Shri Devendra, Shri Ajay Mishra and Smt. Sangeeta.
2000
Liberation of 50 People, Including 24 Adults, from Bareda, Tijara, Alwar
On 19 April 2000, 50 members of 10 bonded labour families belonging to the Jatav community were liberated from Golden Bricks brick kiln in Nareda village of Tijara Tehsil, Alwar district.
They included 24 adult men and women, with the remaining members being children.
Each adult was provided a release certificate and ₹1,000 immediate assistance.
Before this, towards the end of March, we had found out that some people were being forcibly kept at the said place.
After an initial investigation at our own level, a written complaint was submitted to District Magistrate Shri B. N. Sharma on 19 April.
As always, he instructed the Sub-Divisional Officer of the area.
Along with Shri Rajesh Yajnik and his team from the Morcha, Kishangarh Bas Sub-Divisional Officer Shri Parmeshwar Lal, Deputy Superintendent of Police Shri Om Prakash Dayama and the necessary staff conducted a raid and completed the liberation operation.
The operation continued from 4 p.m. until 11 p.m.
Tijara Sub-Divisional Officer Shri Kanhaiya Lal Swami arranged accommodation for the workers during the night.
These workers had been brought at the beginning of the season after receiving an advance of ₹5,000 per family, under an agreement of ₹124 per thousand bricks laid.
By the day of the raid, each worker family had made approximately more than two lakh bricks, but they had not been given even a penny apart from money for expenses.
When there was no order for bricks, they were also made to work in the owner’s fields.
They were neither allowed to leave nor were they given any account of their work.
Finally, one of their acquaintances informed the Morcha, making their liberation possible.
One of these families belonged to Gazipur village of Nadbai Tehsil, Bharatpur district, and was sent there.
The remaining families were residents of various tehsils of Alwar district, including Alwar, Ramgarh, Laxmangarh and Kathumar.
Their rehabilitation was being carried out.
Because the rehabilitation work was proceeding at an extremely slow pace, the Alwar unit of Bandhua Mukti Morcha, along with all the liberated workers, held an indefinite dharna at the District Collector’s office on 11 October 2000, demanding that the rehabilitation work be accelerated.
The dharna was lifted at 12 midnight after Sub-Divisional Officer Shri V. S. Bakawat, on the instructions of the District Collector, gave an assurance.
After this, the rehabilitation work gained momentum.
Only the Indira Awas houses of all the families could be completed; the remaining rehabilitation work remained stalled at one level or another, and the organisation’s efforts continued.
2000 to 2008
Liberation Operations During
- 28 December 2003: 11 members of three families were liberated from a brick kiln, Rajasthan Bricks, located in Bahala village of Ramgarh Sub-Division, Alwar district.
- 10 February 2004: Three families were liberated from a brick kiln in Rehana village of Keshoraipatan Sub-Division, Bundi district.
- 23 November 2005: 35 bonded workers were liberated from Deepak Bricks in Basni village, Kotkasim Sub-Division, Alwar district. Nineteen were taken safely to their home district of Bharatpur and the remaining 16 were taken to Desula village, Alwar, under full security.
- 3 February 2006: 24 bonded workers were liberated from Rohtash Plywood Factory in Shahjahanpur, Behror Sub-Division, Alwar district. Despite the then S.D.O. himself carrying out the liberation, release certificates were not provided. A complaint was therefore made to the State Human Rights Commission.
- 4 February 2008: 100 workers from 25 families were liberated from Om Bricks in Nangla Dungar village, Kishangarh Sub-Division.
- 26 February 2008: 35 bonded workers were liberated from Shri Ram Bricks in Dheekaka village, Kotkasim Sub-Division.
- 28 March 2008: 27 workers — 14 men, 12 women and one child labourer — were liberated from Chaudhary Bricks in Tehadka village, Mundawar Sub-Division.
- 10 November 2008: Eight workers were liberated from Shri Ram Bricks, Abhaneri village, via Khorampurya, Bandikui, Dausa district, and rehabilitated in Bharatpur.
2009 to 2020
Liberation Operations During
- 6 January 2009: 32 workers were liberated, with great difficulty, from Master Bricks, Gandura, Laxmangarh, Alwar. All the workers were residents of Uttar Pradesh.
- 10 January 2009: Four workers were liberated from Surya Bricks, Gahankar, Tijara, Alwar.
- 28 May 2010: 12 bonded workers were liberated from Sagar Bricks, Chikani, Kishangarh Bas, Alwar. Along with their liberation, a payment of ₹2,35,225 was also secured for the workers.
- 7 September 2010: 24 workers were liberated from J.K. Stone Crusher, Bhadbadi, Shri Madhopur, Sikar district.
- 11 January 2011: 47 brick-kiln workers were liberated from Saini Bricks, Dadar. Their outstanding wages were also obtained from the owner.
- 21 April 2011: 22 workers were liberated from Jawali Bricks, Laxmangarh, Alwar.
- 22 September 2011: Eight adult and three minor workers were liberated from Raivana, Behror, Alwar district, in the presence of Morcha State President Rajesh Yajnik and Bheror S.D.M. Jawahar Chaudhary, with the assistance of the police force. All the worker families were provided ₹20,000 assistance through Alwar S.D.O. Pratibha Pareek, and their rehabilitation was underway in Sirabas village.
- 11 November 2011: Nine workers were liberated from Jehaj, Bayana, Bharatpur district, by the Morcha with the cooperation of the administration.
- 26 April 2012: Nine worker families were liberated from Sahil Bricks, Bahala, Ramgarh, Alwar. Seven worker families were liberated from Chirag Bricks, Baldevwas, Kishangarh Bas, Alwar.
- 9 May 2012: 13 worker families were liberated in extremely miserable conditions from the stone quarries of Uthagar village, Bayana Tehsil, Bharatpur district.
- 21 May 2012: Seven worker families were liberated from the stone quarries of Raivana, Behror, Alwar.
- 9 April 2014: 23 bonded worker families were liberated from a brick kiln in Sujangarh Tehsil, Churu district.
7 December 2020: Liberation of Bonded Workers from Bharat Bricks, Ajmer. On 7 December 2020, a memorandum was submitted to the District Collector regarding a complaint of bonded labour at a brick kiln in Ajmer district.
The District Collector immediately took action and gave written and verbal instructions to the Sub-Divisional Officer, Joint Labour Commissioner and S.P. to conduct a raid in coordination with Bandhua Mukti Morcha.
Yajnik successively met the concerned officials and developed a strategy for the operation.
At 3 p.m., a raid was conducted at Bharat Bricks near Lohagal Lake.
The raiding team included representatives of the administration, including Naib Tehsildar Shri Tukachand, Patwari Vinod Ratnu, Police Inspector Ashok, Sangeeta Chaudhary, Labour Inspector Satyaveer Singh, Priyanka, and Morcha State President Rajesh Yajnik.
During statements recorded by the administration at the kiln, five worker families from Banda and Chitrakoot districts stated that they had been brought approximately three months earlier at an agreed rate of ₹550 per thousand bricks, but after arriving they were told the rate was ₹520.
There was a lack of basic facilities such as housing, drinking water and toilets.
The women were subjected to taunting and harassment.
When, fed up with these conditions, they said they wanted to stop work and leave, the munshi threatened them, saying that he would shoot them.
When they protested further, they were told that their accounts would be settled at half the rate.
One of the boys learned about Bandhua Mukti Morcha through the mobile internet and made a complaint by telephone.
They said that they wanted to return home, even if they were not paid their wages.
The women cried before the officials and said:
“Take us away from the kiln right now, otherwise we will be beaten badly here.”
At the site, approximately 10–15 people from the kiln owner were surrounding the workers.
They became quiet after the police reprimanded them.
The workers were brought to Ajmer in two tempos.
Rajesh Yajnik strongly pursued the matter before the Sub-Divisional Court, after which the S.D.O. pronounced the decision that they were to be treated as bonded workers.
S.D.O. Shri Avadhesh Meena (I.A.S.) announced that release certificates would be issued the following day.
All the workers were accommodated in a night shelter.
The Morcha arranged food and other necessities.
The following day, 8 December, counting for the municipal elections was taking place in Ajmer, and the S.D.O. was the Returning Officer.
Meanwhile, Yajnik worked with other employees of the S.D.O.’s office to have the release certificates and other documents prepared.
Showing remarkable energy, the S.D.O. came to the office at night after the election counting and signed all the certificates.
Thereafter, on the afternoon of 9 December 2020, all the workers departed for their home districts.
All were given ₹20,000 immediate assistance through cheques.
The remaining rehabilitation was carried out by Bandhua Mukti Morcha Uttar Pradesh.
Among the liberated workers were 11 families from Banda district and four families from Chitrakoot district.
2021 – 2026
19 December 2021 – Liberation of Two Worker Families from a Poultry Farm, Behror
On 19 December 2021, two worker families were liberated from a poultry farm house in Jeevansinghpura village of Behror Sub-Division, Alwar district.
They were sent to their village Hasanpur Khurd, Banda district, Uttar Pradesh.
22 March 2026 –Â Liberation of 19 Migrant Workers from Minakshi Brick Kiln, Bhilwara
On 22 March 2026, 19 migrant workers engaged in bonded labour at a brick kiln named Minakshi, operating in Morka Nimbahera village of Asind Tehsil, Bhilwara district, were liberated.
The action was carried out by the district administration on the complaint of Bandhua Mukti Morcha.
All these workers were residents of Chitrakoot, Uttar Pradesh, and had been forcibly working at the kiln for approximately eight months.
When they said that they wanted to leave their work and go, the kiln owner’s men also assaulted them.
They were not provided sufficient food or clean drinking water.
All of them were paid their outstanding wages and safely sent to their homes.
An investigation was also initiated against the concerned kiln owner under the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976, along with other applicable legal provisions.Â
20 April 2026 –Â Liberation of Three Migrant Workers from a Brick Kiln in Dholpur
On 20 April 2026, following a complaint by Bandhua Mukti Morcha, three migrant workers from Chhattisgarh belonging to one family were liberated from a brick kiln in Dholpur.
They included Seema, Sohil and Sahil.
The workers stated that they wanted to go to attend a wedding ceremony organised in their family, but the kiln owner did not allow them to leave and pressured them to continue working.
The concerned district administration took prompt action and liberated them.
Bonded Labourers Liberated – At a Glance
| District / Tehsil / Village (from where liberated) | Date | Type of Work | Caste / Class / Residence | Number of Families / Members | Status of Rehabilitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District Bharatpur, Tehsil Bayana, Village – Vallabh Gram | 13 September 1995 | Stone Quarry | Banjara (Nomadic) | 5 families / 28 | Rehabilitated in Seel village, Mundawar Tehsil, Alwar district; Indira Awas and loan provided for livestock rearing. |
| District Alwar, Tehsil Tijara, Village Chawandi Khurd (Alwar–Bhiwadi Road) | 26 July 1996 | Factory under construction | Residents of Odisha | 35 | Release certificates and ₹500 immediate assistance provided to each; sent to their home districts in Odisha. |
| District Alwar, Bhiwadi, Village Matila | 14 December 1996 | Stone Crusher and Quarry (Deva Stone Crusher) | Banjara (Nomadic) | 16 families / 84; 14 child labourers | Release certificates and ₹6,250 immediate assistance. Rehabilitated in “Mukti Gram” in Dahra Panchayat near Alwar district headquarters; Indira Awas, hand pump and loan for livestock rearing (₹21,000 per family). |
| District Alwar, Tehsil Behror, Village Mandhan | 14 November 1997 | Brick Kiln (Shiv Bricks) | Jatav; residents of Agra, Etawah and Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh | 5 families / 18 | Release certificates and â‚ą1,000 immediate assistance provided; sent to their home districts. |
| District Kota, Village Abheda | 29 January 1998 | Stone Quarry | Mainly Sahariya Adivasi, Bhil, Meena etc.; Madhya Pradesh – Raisen, Vidisha; Maharashtra; Rajasthan – Baran, Jhalawar etc. | 46 families / 169 | Release certificates and ₹1,000 immediate assistance provided; sent to their home districts. 18 families brought to Alwar. Free residential plots, ration cards and names entered in the voter list. Rickshaws provided for employment. |
| District Alwar, Tehsil Tijara, Village Chuhadpur | 6 December 1998 | Stone Quarry | Banjara (Nomadic) | 5 families / 25 | Release certificates and â‚ą1,000 immediate assistance provided to each. Rehabilitated in Saithal village, Dausa district; Indira Awas and loans for employment provided to five families. |
| District Alwar, Tehsil Behror, Village Nangla Rund | 29 June 1999 | Brick Kiln (Balaji Bricks) | Jatav; Laxmangarh, Khetri, Sikar district | 9 families (3 men, 6 women) / 9 | Release certificates and â‚ą500 cash immediate assistance provided; sent to their home districts. |
| District Gurgaon (Haryana), Kasba Tawadu, Villages Bhuraka and Panchgaon | 28 September 1999 | Stone Quarry | Banjara (Nomadic) | 12 families / 34 (10 men, 9 women) | Liberated by the Morcha’s National Office; release certificates obtained through the intervention of the Human Rights Commission. Rehabilitated by the Rajasthan unit in Bujh Gram under Nangal Tehsil of Jaipur district. Residential plots allotted; Indira Awas approved. |
| District Jaipur, Tehsil Jaipur, Village Kalwad | 17 December 1999 | Stone Quarry | 5 Bhil families; 1 Meena family; Nomadic | 6 families / 23 | Release certificates and â‚ą1,000 immediate assistance provided. Rehabilitated in Silora Gram Panchayat of Kishangarh, Ajmer district; Indira Awas constructed. |
| District Alwar, Tehsil Tijara, Village Bareda | 29 April 2000 | Brick Kiln (Golden Bricks) | Jatav, Bharatpur and various tehsils of Alwar | 10 families / 50 (12 men, 10 women) | Release certificates and â‚ą1,000 immediate assistance provided. One family sent to Bharatpur. Rehabilitation of the remaining 9 families is being carried out in Ramgarh, Desula, Kathumar, Laxmangarh etc. of Alwar. |
| District Alwar, Tehsil Ramgarh, Village Bahala | 28 December 2003 | Brick Kiln (Rajasthan Bricks) | Jatav, Bharatpur | 3 families (11 members) | — |
| District Bundi, Tehsil Keshoraipatan, Village Rehana | 10 February 2004 | Brick Kiln | Jatav, Bharatpur | 3 families | — |
| Deepak Bricks, Village Basni, Kotkasim, Alwar | 23 November 2005 | Brick Kiln | Residents of Bharatpur | 35 families | Rehabilitated in Bharatpur. |
| Rohtash Plywood, Shahjahanpur, Alwar | 3 February 2006 | Factory | Residents of Bihar | 24 men | — |
| Om Bricks, Nangla Dungar, Kishangarh, Alwar | 4 February 2008 | Brick Kiln | Scheduled Caste, Alwar–Bharatpur districts | 100 | Release certificates not provided. |
| Shri Ram Bricks, Dheekaka, Kotkasim, Alwar | 26 February 2008 | Brick Kiln | Scheduled Caste | 35 families | — |
| Chaudhary Bricks, Tehadka, Mundawar, Alwar | 28 March 2008 | Brick Kiln | Scheduled Caste, Bharatpur | 27 families | — |
| Shri Ram Bricks, Abhaneri via Khorampurya, Bandikui, Dausa | 10 November 2008 | Brick Kiln | Scheduled Caste | 8 families | — |
| Master Bricks, Gandura, Laxmangarh, Alwar | 6 January 2009 | Brick Kiln | Scheduled Caste | 32 | — |
| Surya Bricks, Gahnkar, Tijara, Alwar | 10 January 2009 | Brick Kiln | Kumhar | 4 | — |
| Sagar Bricks, Chikani, Kishangarh Bas, Alwar | 28 May 2010 | Brick Kiln | Koli | 12 families | — |
| J.K. Stone Crusher, Bhadbadi, Shri Madhopur, Sikar district | 7 September 2010 | Stone Crusher | Banjara (Nomadic) | 24 families | — |
| Saini Bricks, Dadar, Alwar | 11 January 2011 | Brick Kiln | Scheduled Caste | 47 | — |
| Jawali Bricks, Laxmangarh, Alwar | 21 April 2011 | Brick Kiln | Scheduled Caste | 22 | — |
| Raivana, Behror, Alwar district | 22 September 2011 | Stone Quarry | Banjara (Nomadic) | 11 | Rehabilitated in Gram Sirabas. |
| Jehaj, Behror, Bharatpur district | 11 November 2011 | Stone Quarry | Banjara (Nomadic) | 9 | Rehabilitated in Mundawar, Alwar. |
| Sahil Bricks, Bahala, Ramgarh, Alwar district | 26 April 2012 | Brick Kiln | Jatav | 9 families | — |
| Chirag Bricks, Baldevwas, Kishangarh Bas, Alwar district | 26 April 2012 | Brick Kiln | Kumhar | 7 families | — |
| Village Uthagar, Tehsil Behr, Bharatpur district | 9 May 2012 | Stone Quarry | Banjara (Nomadic) | 13 families | — |
| Raivana, Behror, Alwar district | 21 May 2012 | Stone Quarry | Banjara (Nomadic) | 7 | — |
| Tehsil Sujangarh, Churu district | 9 April 2014 | Brick Kiln | Banjara (Nomadic) | 23 families | — |
| 200 Feet Road, Alwar district | 26 February 2015 | Bottle Plant | Jatav | 21 girls | All were connected with the mainstream of education. |
| Bharat Bricks, Lohagal Talab, Ajmer district | 7 December 2020 | Brick Kiln | Paswan, Jatav | 20 families | Rehabilitated in Uttar Pradesh. |
| Jeevansinghpura, Behror, Alwar district | 19 December 2021 | Poultry Farm House | Jatav | 2 families | Rehabilitated in Uttar Pradesh. |
| Village Morka, Tehsil Asind, Bhilwara district | 22 March 2026 | Brick Kiln | Scheduled Caste | 19 families | Rehabilitated in Chitrakoot, Uttar Pradesh. |
| Dholpur district | 20 April 2026 | Brick Kiln | Scheduled Caste | 3 people | Rehabilitated in Chhattisgarh. |
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