TOI
Alleging inaction by the Meerut and Muzaffarnagar police, Billoo said, “I submitted a written complaint at Sikhera police station in Muzaffarnagar on July 1, but was turned away and told it was a Meerut case. I then submitted applications to the Meerut district magistrate’s office, SSP and Kithore police station on July 2. However, it was only on July 21 that two cops accompanied me to Muzaffarnagar to question Isha. There, the cops had a private conversation with Isha and, instead of taking any action, assured me that my brother would return by July 26.
I am certain they have not even registered an FIR because, despite asking for a copy, I am turned away every time,” he added. Nirmal Gorana, convener of the National Campaign Committee for Eradication of Bonded Labour (NCCEBL), who is pursuing the case of the trapped labourers, told TOI, “First, the complaint should be registered as soon as it comes to the notice of the police; otherwise, crucial time is lost. Billoo Singh of Asilpur village under Kithore police station approached the National Human Rights Commission, district administration and police, alleging that his brother and three other workers had been trafficked to Malaysia and were being forced to work as bonded labourers. The alleged tout, Mohd Isha of Muzaffarnagar, who had promised Babbar a job, is yet to be arrested. Babbar’s family alleged that Meerut police had not registered an FIR in the case. Speaking to TOI from Malaysia, Babbar described his condition. “I was brought here at the beginning of Feb and have since been made to do heavy work, despite having undergone an operation for a growth in my chest a few years ago. Soon after I landed here, an agent, Mohd Shamim, took away my passport and handed me a fake one showing me as a Nepalese citizen named Tajender. The fake passport has my picture on it. Whenever I protested, sought my wages or expressed my intention of going home, they threatened to have me arrested by the local authorities for carrying a fake passport. “I approached the police several times but returned with little result. Second, when traffickers learn that family members are trying to rescue the workers, they threaten them with serious consequences and may even assault them. ”
Since then, the date has been extended repeatedly.