HC asks govt to stop forced labour

The High Court (HC) Sunday asked the government to put an end to forced labour of any kind, especially in brickfields, reports UNB. Passing the interim order upon a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) writ petition, a division bench headed by Justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury also issued a rule asking the government to explain why direction should not be given to make sure that no such forced labour exists in brickfields and other places of work. The rule has been made returnable in two weeks. In its PIL writ petition, Bangladesh Human Rights Foundation stated that a number of people, including women and children, were forced to work at different brickfields and other factories, and sometimes their hands and legs were tied with chains. Terming such working condition as inhuman as well as against the Labour Law, the petitioner sought remedy in this connection.