Attacks on migrants in Tamil Nadu sparks political furore. Here's what we know so far
2 min read . Updated: 05 Mar 2023, 11:10 PM IST
Premium- Despite multiple clarifications and assurances from the Tamil Nadu government, the migrant workers stayed away from work and even started leaving the state
In the past few days, several videos are being circulated on social media about the alleged attacks on migrant workers in Tamil Nadu. Despite multiple clarifications and assurances from the Tamil Nadu government, the migrant workers stayed away from work and even started leaving the state.
Tamil Nadu migrant attacks: Here's all we know so far
Multiple videos went viral on social media around 1 March in which some people can be seen attacking another group of people or even an individual person. The videos allegedly displayed the attacks on migrant workers in Tamil Nadu.
On 2 March, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also took cognizance of the videos and said that he has directed senior bureaucrats of the state to communicate with Tamil Nadu authorities and seek details on the matter. After facing the ire of the opposition, Kumar constituted a committee of 4 eminent persons to investigate the matter and submit a report.
What did the committee conclude after the investigation?
The committee submitted the report on Sunday and expressed satisfaction with the steps taken by the Tamil Nadu government and the Tirupur district administration to ensure the safety and protection of the workers.
What Tamil Nadu government said?
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin spoke to Bihar Chief Minister and assured him about the safety of migrant workers. The administration has maintained that the videos are fake and are published without the right context.
"Somebody in Bihar posted false and mischievous videos saying that migrant workers are attacked in Tamil Nadu. Two videos are posted and both are false, these two incidents happened earlier in Tiruppur and Coimbatore. Both cases were not a clash between the people of Tamil Nadu and migrant workers. One was a clash between two groups of Bihar migrant workers and another video was a clash between two local residents of Coimbatore," Tamil Nadu DGP said.
Tamil Nadu police also booked the state BJP state unit chief K Annamalai under sections of inciting violence and promoting enmity between groups among others.
How Jharkhand government responded?
The Hemant Soren government of Jharkhand also responded to the alleged attacks and sent a team to Tamil Nadu on Sunday to take stock of the situation. "The Jharkhand team members interacted with the Tamil Nadu government officials and around 700-800 migrant workers to take stock of their situation. The team also left for Coimbatore from Chennai to enquire about other laborers," the official statement said.
How migrant workers are reacting?
According to reports from the state, there seems to be a panic among the migrant population and they are also avoiding workplaces. Some of the migrant workers have also decided to leave the state after the reports of alleged attacks.
The industries in Tamil Nadu that depend a lot on the labor of migrant workers are meeting them to assure them about their safety and are requesting them to not believe the social media messages.
