'Attack on migrants': Team of Bihar officials leaves for Tamil Nadu

A four-member team of officials from Bihar on Saturday left for Tamil Nadu to look into allegations of attacks on migrant workers which has been denied by the southern state.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, replying to queries from journalists in Patna, said the decision to send the team was taken after deliberations that took place over a couple of days.

"I first read about the matter in newspapers the day before yesterday and asked officials here to get in touch with their counterparts in Tamil Nadu. Yesterday they said that it would be good if we send a team to that state to get first hand information. Orders were issued accordingly," he said.

According to a statement issued by the Police Headquarters, the team comprises D Balamurugan, the Secretary for Rural Development, P Kannan, the Inspector General of Police (CID), Alok Kumar, the Labour Commissioner, and Santosh Kumar, SP, Special Task Force.

According to the statement, the team will meet the Chief Secretary, the Director General of Police and other top officials of Tamil Nadu besides visiting Tiruppur district from where reports of attacks on Bihari migrants have surfaced.

Notably, two members of the team, D Balamurugan and P Kannan, hail from Tamil Nadu and according to sources in the state government they have been chosen so that 'internal feedback' could be obtained, without facing problems of language.

The Police Headquarters also released helpline numbers issued by the Tamil Nadu police, though the Director General of Police of the southern state had recently issued a statement asserting that reports in a section of the media about attacks on migrants were 'misleading and mischievous'.

Nonetheless, returnees from the southern state are sharing their woes with journalists at railway stations, saying though they have come back for Holi festivities, they would not like to go back to work if the situation did not improve.

"I work as a carpenter. My earnings barely suffice to keep my body and soul together. The environment in Tamil Nadu has made the matters worse. I would not like to go back unless there is an improvement in the situation," said Vinod, who hails from Motihari.

Similar sentiments were expressed by Vishal and Vivek, both from Muzaffarpur, who alleged 'we always face insults and, of late, even physical assaults are taking place. We hope that we get some work on our home soil. Who would like to go far away and face humiliations?'

Bhojpuri singer Neha Singh Rathore, who was recently in news for being slapped with a notice by the Uttar Pradesh police for a satirical number of hers that was critical of the Yogi Adityanath government, expressed solidarity with migrants upon returning to her home state.

"I am just back from Delhi. I have replied to the notice which, my lawyers say, is illegal. I also met retired Supreme Court judge Justice Markandey Katju who held the same view. As far as migrants are concerned, I feel I am one of them," Rathore told reporters at the Patna airport.

"Many of my close relatives are eking out a living in far-off places like Delhi. They are not big officials. Some of them work as security guards. Some are even selling vegetables or picking up garbage. They all suffer the same travail," said the Bhabhua-born singer who also came up with an impromptu song that sought to give voice to the plight of Bhojpuri speaking migrants.