The state government has been compelled to fight off a bitter disinformation campaign launched by miscreants on social media as word has been spreading thick and fast about alleged attacks on north Indian migrant workers in Tamil Nadu for the past few days.
Things reached a flash point when Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday announced sending a team of officials to probe the "attack" on workers from Bihar in the southern state. Subsequently, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin spoke to his counterpart in Bihar and reassured him that no harm will come to the migrant workers in Tamil Nadu.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Police have reportedly booked three persons including a BJP spokesperson (Uttar Pradesh) for spreading ‘fake news’ about migrant workers.
Official sources told The New Indian Express the disinformation campaign was an attempt by miscreants to discredit Tamil Nadu's image as a peaceful society and a successful investment hub. The state has instructed collectors, superintendents of police, and commissioners of police across districts to fan out and meet migrant workers in a bid to boost their confidence.
There are around 4 lakh people from other states in Tamil Nadu, including migrant workers, pilgrims, students, and those doing petty jobs or businesses.
Coimbatore Collector Kranthi Kumar Pati told The New Indian Express around 82,000 guest workers including 25,000 Bihar natives were working in the district and registered their names with the
district administration.
"We along with the police department are constantly meeting them at their places to douse the panic among the workers. The messages to them were also given in Hindi. We have also planned to issue pamphlets in Hindi to explain the situation and what measures are being taken to ensure their safety. In the last two days after the announcement of toll-free numbers, no complaints were received from guest workers," he said.
Similarly, in Tirupur district the Police SP G Shashank Sai said as per the labour department data there are 1.5 lakh migrants working in the district and a section of labours are moving to their native due to the Holi festival and because of the current situation. But they also said they are going to their native to explain the situation to their families.
Otherwise, there was no tense situation in Tirupur. He added that the police teams are making awareness on this issue at the doorsteps of all factories in the district.
A top official from the home department said the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology would get the tweets blocked upon receiving specific complaints.
Co-founder of Altnews, Mohammed Zubair, tweeted that several scaremongering tweets and videos were being spread with false claims of Hindi-speaking migrant workers being attacked in Tamil Nadu. He highlighted five videos, including one from Hyderabad where one person was killed, and the other from Karnataka, Jodhpur, and Coimbatore, where various incidents took place. North Indian media without verifying the content have also been circulating it.
Sources responded to queries regarding whether the state is taking the centre's help to quell the disinformation campaign by stating that law and order is a state subject and that the state has been successful in quelling rumors. Meanwhile, rumors again surfaced that most migrant workers were fleeing the state, but upon contacting workers, it was found that they were going home to celebrate Holi.
Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu government is making efforts to ensure migrant workers stay here by organizing Holi celebrations at their places.
A senior government official said that the state has a record of taking care of migrant workers who play a crucial role in the state's economy.
S Sridharan, Director of LYRA Properties & Chairman, Policy - Housing and Urban development CREDAI National, told TNIE that CREDAI is working closely with the state government to boost confidence among migrant workers at all construction sites.
During Covid-19, the state government went out of its way to open "amma unavagams" (Amma Canteens) and ensure that guest workers did not go hungry. It was the only state that paid guest workers for their return journey, official sources said.
According to the officials from the police department of Erode district, migrant workers are working in textile industries, construction, power looms, agriculture, hotels, and private companies in Erode district. They are making up for the labour shortage in Erode.
In particular, more people live in the Perundurai area. So far, there were no untoward incidents against migrant workers in Erode. The Erode District Police is taking various measures to ensure their safety. In that regard contact numbers 9655220100, 9498101244, and 9498101255 have been introduced for their help.
"Misinformation shared on social media has created fear among migrant workers. To allay their fears, an awareness meeting was held in Erode on Friday evening by the district police. District Superintendent of Police V Sasimohan presided over the meeting. More than 100 migrant workers, their contractors and company owners participated in this meeting. We have advised them not to fear relying on fake information. We have advised the workers to call on the given numbers if they need any assistance. So far workers have not moved in large numbers from Erode." an officer said.
As far as Salem is concerned, the police said that apart from those going for the Holi festival, migrant workers did not travel in large numbers. "Salem is also the main junction for those coming from Coimbatore and Tirupur. Due to this, the railway station is crowded.
But workers did not leave Salem city in large numbers. "Migrant workers from the suburbs of Salem have not yet gone to their home states. Appropriate awareness has been created," said District Superintendent of Police R Sivakumar.
(With inputs from Coimbatore & Online Desk)