MP police rescue 16 from slavery in Guna, arrest 11

BHOPAL: Police have rescued 16 mentally challenged and destitute men held in modern-day slavery for years - some for two decades - under inhumane conditions in two villages in MP's Guna district, arresting 11 people linked to a widespread trafficking and bonded labour network spanning many states.

"They were treated worse than animals," an officer involved in the rescue said.

The victims - rescued from Binaganj and Cachoda areas, 150km from Bhopal and close to Rajasthan border - were trapped under a local exploitation system known as 'Rahua', a term derived from the regional dialect meaning 'Raho aur Khao' - stay and eat. But behind the seemingly benign phrase lies a brutal form of bondage. Victims were forced to work long hours in return for nothing more than leftover food and a place to sleep, often among cattle. There were no wages, no basic rights, and no way out. Most of the men had been trafficked after being found wandering on highways or abandoned by truck drivers. Once in captivity,they were roped into a network of forced labour across agricultural fields, cattle sheds, brick kilns, roadside eateries, and homes.

District collector Kishore Kumar Kanyal said 16 men have been shifted to care centres in Shivpuri, where they are receiving medical and psychological support. Their families are being located.