Guest workers are safe in Tamil Nadu: Trichy SP Sujit Kumar

TRICHY: Trichy district superintendent of police Sujit Kumar, who hails from Bihar, on Monday attempted to allay the fear among Hindi-speaking guest workers in Tamil Nadu. He dismissed rumours about guest workers being attacked in Tamil Nadu.
Sujit Kumar condemned rumours and fake videos about the alleged attack on the workers from northern states, particularly from Bihar.“Such incidents did not happen in Trichy and elsewhere in Tamil Nadu. Senior police officers have interacted with migrant workers. No one complained of any threat to them,” the SP said whiles addressing reporters.
“Some guest workers left for their hometown to celebrate Holi which falls on March 8. They have not left the states out of fear of attack,” said he said.
The SP said 2,784 guest workers, including 406 women from Hindi speaking states, are working in various industries in Trichy. Most of them are engaged in construction work and in restaurants. “They have been working here for the past five years to ten years,” he said.
Sujit Kumar
The SP said employers had provided accommodation, food and toilets for guest workers near the workplace. Students from northern states are studying in National Institute of Technology – Trichy (NIT-T) and Tamil Nadu National Law University (TNNLU). “We have not received any complaints from the workers and the students,” he said.
A few days ago, the Trichy district police put out a helpline number -- 9498181325 -- for the migrant workers to report if they faced any threat. The SP said that some calls landed in the helpline number but no one had raised any issues of harassment and attack.
Sujit Kumar released a video in Hindi assuring safety to the guest workers.
Meanwhile, Mayiladuthurai district collector AP Mahabharathi met guest and distributed sweets to them ahead of Holi.