Labourers Who Were Forced To Flee, Say, 'Even Cops Advised Us To Leave Gujarat'

Hundreds of people from Bihar left jobs and even remunerations in Gujarat out of fear for their lives and returned home on Tuesday. On reaching Patna Junction, they narrated the ordeal people from north India were going through in various parts of Ahmedabad and Gujarat.

The situation turned for the worse after a Bihari migrant worker was arrested for allegedly raping a 14-month-old baby on September 28. Those who returned on Tuesday said they were threatened to leave Gujarat before October 12. Sonu Kumar (19), who was living in Thaltej area of Ahmedabad, said he complained to the local police about the assault on him and threats by the locals, but in vain. ¡°The police, instead, advised me to return home and expressed helplessness in stopping the violence,¡± Sonu from Vaishali said.

Reuters

Suresh Sahni (40) from Khagaria said he usually visits his home during Holi and Chhath. ¡°I had booked train tickets for November 10 to celebrate Chhath, but I left my job and salary due to violence and boarded the first available train to Patna even without reservation,¡± he said.

¡°I don¡¯t know when the situation will become normal. Now, I have decided to do farming in my village,¡± said Mohammad Karim (37), who lived at Mehsana with his wife and eight-year-old daughter. ¡°I saw some miscreants barging into my neighbourhood and beating several people. On Saturday, when I was returning from the factory where I worked, a mob rounded me and asked about my native place and language. When I said I¡¯m from Bihar, they bashed me and asked me to leave Gujarat before October 12. The locals told me that they belonged to Thakor Sena,¡± he said. Thakor Sena is an outfit led by Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor.

Reuters

Ramesh Yadav, who reached Ahmedabad last Friday to join his work at a private mobile company, was forced to leave Gujarat. ¡°I took the train Sunday night after some miscreants hurled stones at my flat. The mob also caned some people and threatened to leave saying the violence will turn worse,¡± he said, adding several people from Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Assam were also facing local mob fury.

Around 1500 people of East Champaran returned home from Mehsana, Gandhinagar, Sabarkantha, Aravalli and several other districts in Guajarat. One Mukesh Sao of Patahi and Sheo Chandra Mahato of Fenehara said there were frequent attacks even at the dead of night in Sabarkantha where they were working in a small-scale industry.

AP

Lalmuni Devi of Tetarya said,¡°Bada julum hot ba, sab saamaan loot lelak (Atrocities are being committed on Biharis. All our belongings have been looted).¡±

Farook Alam of Dhekha said, ¡°We were working there peacefully for the last 7 years. But now is an atmosphere of fear and mistrust in Gujarat. Hence we left.¡±

It was a double whammy for Ramesh Ram and Pramod Ram, who were stabbed and looted by two motorcycle-borne criminals at Chhatauni bus stand in Motihari on early Tuesday morning. They had returned from north Gujarat.

Reuters

Meanwhile, some people complained to Sheikhpura DM Yogendra Singh that their family members had been held hostage by the owner of an Ahmedabad-based packaging company. One Akhilesh Kumar said 14 of them managed to escape from the captivity and reached their village under Aryari block of Sheikhpura district on Sunday. ¡°The factory owner snatched even their mobile phones,¡± he alleged.