Attacks on migrants continue in Gujarat; seven Biharis thrashed for 'wearing lungi'

The attack on Hindi-speaking migrants continued in Gujarat as seven men hailing from Bihar were attacked by a group allegedly for wearing “lungi” and sitting “indecently” in Vadodara. Following the incident, three persons accused of carrying out the attack were arrested by the police.

The attack was the latest in addition to the recent violence against migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The police, however, claimed that the attack, that took place on Monday, was an "isolated incident" and had “nothing to do with the origin of the victims”.

“The men were attacked after they did not pay heed to the local residents, who regularly asked them not to sit there indecently by wearing lungi (a traditional garment worn around the waist),” Vadodara Police Commissioner Anupam Singh Gehlot was quoted by PTI as saying.

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Gehlot claimed that the incident cannot be termed a “hate crime” as part of the recent violence against Hindi-speaking migrants in the state after the rape of a minor allegedly by a man labourer from Bihar.

“The victims, working at a construction site in the locality, used to wear lungi and sit in the area. Women and men, staying at Vankarvas under Sama police station area, had repeatedly warned these men against wearing lungi and sitting indecently,” Singh said.