BENGALURU: Three migrant workers from a slum in Thubarahalli, near Whitefield, were detained on charges of consumption of drugs (ganja) on Thursday, said a member of the Interstate Migrant Worker Federation of Karnataka. Terming it “harassment”, he said there have been instances as well, and it would not have been the case had they been living in an apartment.
On the contrary, an officer from Marathahalli police station said they had detained two workers, who underwent a medical test on Friday. One of the workers tested negative and was let go later in the evening.
Suman Das Mohapatra, president, All India IT and IT-enabled Services Employees’ Union (AIITEU), Karnataka chapter, working with gig workers in Thubarahalli slum, alleged that police officers often harass and detain workers, and extort money. In case medical tests came positive, they threaten the workers to pay money, or file a case in their name. He said not everybody in the slum consumed drugs, and random people would be detained once in a while, without procedure.
There have been a few instances in the past as well. He flagged the fact that the three workers were detained for over 24 hours without a proper memo, or medical test. Police did not exactly provide any information for detaining the migrant workers, though it is usual for officers in the area to do so, Mohapatra added. He questioned the authorities for delaying the medical test overnight, and said in case of a drug case, if workers were detained they should have immediately carried out a medical test. The federation worker said they were often harassed for no reason, and police came down heavily on them because they live in slums.