Santosh Rishidev, a minor bonded labour survivor from Khurkhuriya near Kishanganj in Bihar, has received ₹10 lakh in compensation from the Haryana government. Santosh was featured in THE WEEK’s Independence Day special investigative cover story on rescued bonded labourers in the issue dated August 23, 2026.
He had been forced into bonded labour by Haryana-based farm owner Anil Kumar. After Santosh lost an arm in a fodder-cutting machine accident, Kumar and his associates allegedly abandoned him in a remote area to die. He was rescued by two schoolteachers in Nuh district.
The Haryana Human Rights Commission had taken suo motu cognisance of the case and recommended compensation. Following the commission’s intervention, Kumar was arrested in the Gautam Buddha Nagar region of Uttar Pradesh, and the Haryana government has now disbursed the compensation.
Notably, Santosh has still not received a release certificate (RC), which officially recognises a person as a rescued bonded labourer and makes them eligible for rehabilitation benefits, beginning with initial financial assistance of ₹30,000. Without the certificate, Santosh remains ineligible for further financial assistance, housing, livelihood support, skill development and educational opportunities under the Central Sector Scheme for Rehabilitation of Bonded Labourers.
Half a century after India outlawed bonded labour through the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act (BLSA), 1976, the system survives in farms and factories, brick kilns, workshops and other workplaces. Millions remain trapped within it—in conditions akin to modern slavery.
Read THE WEEK’s full story here:
India’s hidden slaves: Fifty years on, bonded labour thrives in shadows
