Exodus of migrant workers from Gujarat turns into political slugfest

Exodus of Hindi-speaking migrants from Gujarat after attacks on them in several parts of the state turned into a political slugfest among the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Congress and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) as the violence continued unabated on Tuesday.

As the attacks on Hindi-speaking factory workers continued, more and more have fled the state by taking trains and buses.

In an effort to control the tense situation, police strengthened security in and around the industrial estates and places where migrant workers reside. Over 25,000 migrants work in factories and industrial estate in Vadodara alone.

Also Read | Rishi Kapoor looks weak and frail after his medical treatment in this picture with Sonali Bendre and Priyanka Chopra

So far, 533 people have been arrested and 61 cases registered, Minister of State for Home Pradeepsinh Jadeja said. Also, seven cases were filed separately under the IT Act and 20 people arrested for spreading hate messages on social media, the minister said

Shyam Singh Thakur, president of the Uttar Bhartiya Vikas Parishad, an outfit of north Indians in Gujarat, said more than 60,000 Hindi-speaking migrant labourers have fled the state so far. He claimed that people who had decided earlier to leave the state continue to board buses and trains.

Since the rape of a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha district on September 28 and the arrest of a labourer hailing from Bihar for the crime, six districts, most of them in north Gujarat, have witnessed sporadic incidents of violence against Hindi-speaking people.

(With inputs from agencies)