NHRC, India takes suo motu cognizance on the reported suffering of a boy under bonded labour for months
- The boy from Kishanganj district of Bihar separated from his father at Bahadurgarh Railway Station in Haryana and subjected to bonded labour in Gautam Budh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh
- Issues notices to the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, Haryana as well as the Commissioner of Police, Gautam Budh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh and the District Magistrate, Kishanganj, Bihar, calling for detailed reports within two weeks
New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), India has taken suo motu cognizance of a media report that a 15-year-old boy from Kishanganj district of Bihar suffered for months under bonded labour after being separated by his father at Bahadurgarh Railway Station in Haryana. Reportedly, the boy stepped off the train to fetch water at the Railway Station but could not board it again to be with his father due to the heavy crowd. Thereafter, he missed the train and for eight months suffered the ordeal of bonded labour before managing to reach his home back with his left elbow severed.
The news report has also revealed that a Bonded Labour Release Certificate, which is a mandatory document required to access any rehabilitation and compensation for the victim, is yet to be released by the authorities, under Central Sector Scheme for Rehabilitation of Bonded Labourer-2021.
The Commission has observed that the contents of the media report, if true, raise a serious issue of human rights violation. Therefore, it has issued notices to the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, Haryana as well as the Commissioner of Police, Gautam Budh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh and the District Magistrate, Kishanganj, Bihar. The response is expected from the authorities within two weeks.
The Commission has also directed the authorities to inform whether any compensation has been paid and a Disability Certificate issued or not to enable the victim to get the benefits of the Persons with Disabilities (PwD) Act, 2016.
According to the media report, carried on 12th January 2026, the boy after missing the train, stayed at the railway station for two days after which a man, in the name of providing him a job, took him to Greater Noida area in Gautam Budh Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh where he was made to work from early morning until night, including grazing the cattle and cutting fodder. He was subjected to frequent physical torture by his employer. The victim reportedly made an unsuccessful attempt to escape from the bondage but he was caught and subject to beatings. The news report further reveals that the victim’s left got severed at the elbow in the fodder cutting machine. He was abandoned on a road by his employer without providing any medical aid.
Reportedly, some unknown person took him to a hospital in Nuh district of Haryana from where, due to fear of again being caught by his employer, he ran away and walked barefoot for more than three kilometers until two government teachers noticed him and the matter was reported to the GRP, Bahadurgarh, Haryana. He returned to his home in August 2025.
