Chandigarh: The Haryana Human Rights Commission has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report on a 15-year-old boy kept as bonded labourer in Jind district, observing it was a total breakdown of the protective mechanisms that ought to shield children from exploitation.

According to the report, the boy, a resident of Kishanganj district in Bihar, was lured into bonded labour under the false promise of employment by an employer in Jind district.

The child reportedly got separated from his companions at Bahadurgarh Railway Station, where he came into contact with an unknown person who offered him work at a buffalo dairy with a salary of Rs 10,000 per month.

Instead of legal employment, the minor was subjected to two months of forced labour and physical abuse.The situation worsened when the child lost his left arm while cutting fodder. The employer allegedly abandoned him last month at an isolated spot without any assistance.

Somehow, the injured boy with a crudely tied bandage to his arm set off alone on foot, determined to return to his home in Bihar.

When the boy reached Nuh he was spotted by a teacher who came to his rescue, provided medical help at a local health centre, and informed the police.

The full commission comprising chairperson Justice Lalit Batra and Members Kuldip Jain and Deep Bhatia expressed grave concern over this incident.