Curbing bonded labour: IGP directed to take action against DPO for his failure to act

The Supreme Court on Monday directed Inspector General Police (IGP) Punjab to take appropriate action against District Police Officer (DPO) Mandi Bahauddin and others for not taking action to curb the curse of bonded labour in the region.
Headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, a three-member bench also directed police officials to provide protection to Mohammad Inayat and his family, which was subject to the illegal detention of brick kiln owner in Phalia.
The court issued these directions after hearing a suo-moto case taken on a news item wherein Muhammad Inyat had prayed the Court for release of his family members from the clutches of brick kiln owners. Mohammad Inayat appeared along with his family apprised that he had to pay an amount of Rs 290,000 to Chaudhry Mohammad Nazir, Chaudhry Mehmood and others, owners of brick kiln, but they had taken away his wife and children besides, forcing them to work as bonded labourers.
He said that he was also implicated in false cases. In order to meet the demand of owners, he informed the bench that he along with his wife had undergone surgery in Jinnah Hospital Rawalpindi to sell their kidneys in return of Rs 200,000.
He said it was a common phenomenon for bonded labourers in the area as those wanted to get rid of the curse had been implicated in false criminal cases in connivance with police officers. The bench rejected a report on behalf of DPO, Dar Ali Khattak, which said that the family members were residing with the owner of brick kiln with their own consent.
Justice Khalil-ur-Rehman reprimanded DSP Ghulam Mustafa Gillani who submitted the report and questioned where these brick kilns were located? If it was happening in your jurisdiction, why not punish you and what was the use of such officers who did not know what was happening in their area of jurisdiction.