NHRC takes suo motu cognizance of assault on 12 bonded labourers in Muzaffarnagar

📌 Summary:

• NHRC took suo motu cognizance of reports that 12 bonded labourers were assaulted in captivity and forced to work till midnight without adequate food or wages for nearly 1.5 years at a paper-plate factory in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh
• Issued notices to the UP Chief Secretary and DGP seeking a detailed report within two weeks; directed the District Magistrate to inquire per the Labour Ministry SOP and the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976
• Directed immediate registration of the labourers on the e-Shram Portal, per NHRC Advisory 2.0 (8 December 2021)
• Victims (from UP, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Nepal) were lured with false job promises; their phones and IDs were confiscated; pit-bull dogs were used to prevent escape; at least one death was reported

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS2 Polity (NHRC as a statutory body) and GS1 Society — bonded/forced labour, human rights, Article 23 (prohibition of forced labour and trafficking).

📝 Prelims Facts:

• NHRC — statutory body under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993; can act suo motu
• Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976
• e-Shram Portal — national database of unorganised workers
• Article 23 prohibits forced labour and human trafficking

🔑 Key Term: Suo motu cognizance — a body or court taking up a matter on its own initiative, without a formal complaint.