There have been reports in the media of hate crimes targeting Hindi-speaking migrant labourers, especially from Bihar, working in Tamil Nadu. Although the TN Police have dismissed these reports as fake, terrified labourers returning to Bihar have a different story to tell.
It is pertinent to note that a report by the Hindi daily Dainik Bhaskar that was published on March 2, 2023, had earlier claimed that as many as 15 people have lost their lives in “Talibani” style attacks being carried out against the Hindi-speaking migrant labourers in the state. However, the Hindi newspaper has retracted that report and now, in its updated version, presented testimonies of the migrant labourers who have said that they are fleeing Tamil Nadu because of the violence that has been unleashed on Hindi-speaking migrant labourers in the state because of their linguistic identity.
Allegations of Bihari migrant labourers
When told that the Tamil Nadu DGP has called reports on the attack on Bihar migrant workers in Tamil Nadu fake, Arman, a labourer from the Jamui district who was returning home with 20 other labourers, told Bhaskar, “if the news is false, then why are so many people returning to Bihar from TN.”
According to Arman, migrant labourers have returned to Jamui, Nawada, and Lakhisarai districts in Bihar from TN. Biharis are fleeing TN on one pretext or the other, which is why it is becoming difficult to even get train tickets, said Arman.
Shravan Kumar, another Bihari labourer who worked in Tamil Nadu and returned home two days ago, claimed the situation in the state is exceedingly dangerous, with Bihari migrant labourers being targeted. “Locals want us to return to Bihar, accusing us of snatching their employment…they are attacking us wherever they see us, and our employers and local officials are of no help. “We were terrified,” Shravan Kumar lamented.
“The situation of Hindi-speaking labourers in Tamil Nadu is quite dismal,” Rohit Kumar, a resident of Sikandra village who returned from Tiruppur today, stated. They intend to drive away all Hindi-speaking people from the state.”
“Locals claim they don’t have jobs, therefore they’re upset and driving us away,” said Pramod Kumar of Jamui. “Hindi-speaking people are under attack. No work is being given to those people,” he too bemoaned.
Bihar CM expresses concern
Significantly, in addition to the Dainik Bhaskar article, two videos have also gone viral on social media. One video showed one man being attacked by a group of people who flee the scene immediately after the assault. Another video showed a grievously injured man being laid down on the floor while onlookers say that he needed to be rushed to the hospital. The identities of the injured men in both videos are unclear.
Sharing these videos, a Twitter user claimed that Hindi-speaking north Indian workers were being attacked in Tamil Nadu.
Since then, this issue gained immense traction. The matter was also addressed in the Bihar assembly, with the BJP criticising the administration and requesting a debate to secure the safety and security of Biharis working in Tamil Nadu.
Soon after, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed concern over the safety of workers from his state in Tamil Nadu. Nitish Kumar said in a tweet, I have come to know from newspapers that people from Bihar working in Tamil Nadu are being attacked. I have directed the Chief Secretary and DGP to contact their respective counterparts in Tamil Nadu and ensure the safety of the workers from Bihar living there.
मुझे समाचार पत्रों के माध्यम से तमिलनाडु में काम कर रहे बिहार के मजदूरों पर हो रहे हमले की जानकारी मिली है। मैंने बिहार के मुख्य सचिव एवं पुलिस महानिदेशक को तमिलनाडु सरकार के अधिकारियों से बात कर वहां रह रहे बिहार के मजदूरों की सुरक्षा सुनिश्चित करने का निदेश दिया है।
— Nitish Kumar (@NitishKumar) March 2, 2023
The Bihar CM directed the chief secretary and DGP to speak to their counterparts in the southern state and ensure the safety and security of people from Bihar working there.
DGP denies allegations of Hindi-speaking migrant labourers being attacked in Tamil Nadu
Hours after Nitish Kumar expressed his concerns, Tamil Nadu Director General of Police (DGP) Sylendra Babu issued a statement on Thursday, March 2 refuting allegations that Bihari migrant workers were being attacked in Tamil Nadu. The DGP stated that the videos circulating on social media regarding labourers from Bihar being killed were fake.
Message from The Director General of Police / HoPF
— Tamil Nadu Police (@tnpoliceoffl) March 2, 2023
Tamil Nadu @bihar_police @NitishKumar https://t.co/cuzvY48sFk pic.twitter.com/vqKm4tANcx
Posting a video on social media, DGP Tamil Nadu Shailendra Babu said, “Somebody in Bihar has posted a false and misleading video regarding migrant workers from Bihar being attacked in Tamil Nadu. Two videos which are circulating on social media regarding the incident are false. The facts of the videos are twisted so as to appear that migrant workers living in Tamil Nadu are being attacked.”
“These two incidents happened earlier in Tirupur and in Coimbatore. In both cases, it was not a clash between the local people and migrant workers. One was a clash between two groups of north Indian migrant workers. The other was a clash between two groups of local residents in Coimbatore.”
Update: The claims about murders and killing as well as the fingers of the Hindi-speaking migrant labourers being chopped and the labourers being locked in a room and hanged, which were reported by Dainik Bhaskar were retracted after the incident caused nationwide controversy. Since our reports were based on Dainik Bhaskar’s report and were reproduced here crediting them explicitly, we have removed those claims as well because Bhaskar doesn’t seem to be standing by it anymore.
