<p>Guna (MP): Sixteen persons, who were forced to work as bonded labourers in inhuman conditions for years, were rescued in Guna district of Madhya Pradesh on Friday, officials said.</p>.<p>These labourers were found working at hotels, brick kilns, roadside eateries and farms, and many of them were elderly and mentally ill, they said.</p>.<p>Collector Kishore Kanyal said that following repeated complaints that people were being forced to work as bonded labourers, five teams were formed under the leadership of Chanchoda Sub Divisional Magistrate Ravi Malviya.</p>.<p>"These teams included officials from the revenue, police, labour and municipal departments," he said.</p>.Two labourers killed, 2 injured as wall of brick kiln collapses in Muzaffarnagar.<p>Starting at 7 am, the teams began conducting raids across several villages in Chanchoda tehsil, about 65 km from the district headquarters, the official added.</p>.<p>These persons were found working at farms, brick kilns and roadside eateries. They were forced to work from morning till late evening and were not paid wages. They were given only food in return for their hard work, the collector said.</p>.<p>"Many of them were found wearing torn clothes, had hunched backs as a result of overwork and exhaustion, and fear was clearly visible in their eyes," he said.</p>.<p>Some were so weak that they could not even walk, he said, adding that further investigation was underway to enable appropriate legal action.</p>.<p>District Labour Officer Ashish Tiwari said the operation continued throughout the day, and by evening, 16 labourers were rescued and taken to safe locations.</p>.<p>All of them were provided with first aid, food, and necessary assistance. Given the mental condition of some of them, a health department team was also deployed, he added.</p>.<p>Officials said that efforts were underway to identify those who kept these labourers in bondage.</p>.<p>Criminal cases will soon be filed against the responsible individuals, and the process of ensuring punishment for the culprits has begun, they added.</p>.<p>Social worker Pramod Bhargava, who has previously rescued several bonded labourers, this could be a part of a large bonded labour network.</p>.<p>Meanwhile, the administration is also investigating when and under what circumstances these victims were employed as bonded labourers. More raids are likely to be conducted in the future, the officials added. </p>
<p>Guna (MP): Sixteen persons, who were forced to work as bonded labourers in inhuman conditions for years, were rescued in Guna district of Madhya Pradesh on Friday, officials said.</p>.<p>These labourers were found working at hotels, brick kilns, roadside eateries and farms, and many of them were elderly and mentally ill, they said.</p>.<p>Collector Kishore Kanyal said that following repeated complaints that people were being forced to work as bonded labourers, five teams were formed under the leadership of Chanchoda Sub Divisional Magistrate Ravi Malviya.</p>.<p>"These teams included officials from the revenue, police, labour and municipal departments," he said.</p>.Two labourers killed, 2 injured as wall of brick kiln collapses in Muzaffarnagar.<p>Starting at 7 am, the teams began conducting raids across several villages in Chanchoda tehsil, about 65 km from the district headquarters, the official added.</p>.<p>These persons were found working at farms, brick kilns and roadside eateries. They were forced to work from morning till late evening and were not paid wages. They were given only food in return for their hard work, the collector said.</p>.<p>"Many of them were found wearing torn clothes, had hunched backs as a result of overwork and exhaustion, and fear was clearly visible in their eyes," he said.</p>.<p>Some were so weak that they could not even walk, he said, adding that further investigation was underway to enable appropriate legal action.</p>.<p>District Labour Officer Ashish Tiwari said the operation continued throughout the day, and by evening, 16 labourers were rescued and taken to safe locations.</p>.<p>All of them were provided with first aid, food, and necessary assistance. Given the mental condition of some of them, a health department team was also deployed, he added.</p>.<p>Officials said that efforts were underway to identify those who kept these labourers in bondage.</p>.<p>Criminal cases will soon be filed against the responsible individuals, and the process of ensuring punishment for the culprits has begun, they added.</p>.<p>Social worker Pramod Bhargava, who has previously rescued several bonded labourers, this could be a part of a large bonded labour network.</p>.<p>Meanwhile, the administration is also investigating when and under what circumstances these victims were employed as bonded labourers. More raids are likely to be conducted in the future, the officials added. </p>