Tamil Nadu: Labourer From Bengal Dies After Being Brutally Beaten Up By Local Youth Who Mistook Him To Be A Thief

A construction labourer from West Bengal, identified as Kshetra Mohan Burman, succumbed to his injuries today (15 February) at the Chengalpattu government hospital. He was brutally beaten up by a group of local youth on Sunday night (13 February) who mistook him to be a thief.

Mohan had come to the state to work in a construction project by the Casa Grand group in Kelambakkam, near Chennai.

After having a meal in a restaurant, he was walking around Karanai Nehru Nagar area because he did not know the way back to his accomodation.

It was during this time that some local youth suspected him to be a thief and caught hold of him. They then tied him to a pole and beat him severely.

On getting information of the incident, the local police arrived at the spot, and sent him to a hospital in Chromepet. Later, due to the severity of his injuries, he was taken to the Chengalpattu district government hospital.

Six local youth, namely, Vignesh, Raja, Bala Murugan, Anand, Ganesh and Ramesh have been arrested.

This comes after fake news was spread on social media regarding North Indian textile workers attacking a local worker in Tiruppur. A senior police official later said that it was the local worker who started the clash by blowing smoke on the face of the migrant worker.

Of late, the state has been seeing an increase in the derogatory remarks being made against 'North Indian' ( called 'Vadakkans' in Tamil) workers.

Many influential ideologues and political leaders, who declare themselves as ‘Dravidianist stock’, frequently indulge in calling north Indians as ‘pani puri sellers', 'pan parag vaaiyans' and worse. A significant section of Tamil media publishes and amplifies stories on the 'uncouth behaviour' of 'North Indian migrants'.

While no official statistics is available on the number of so-called 'North Indians', the state attracts a considerable number of workers from rest of India who are engaged in infrastructure projects, hotel industry, real estate projects, small industrial units, private security services and a plethora of skilled jobs including plumbing, carpentry, electricians etc.

Many entrepreneurs prefer migrant workers due to a combination of factors including lower wages and non-availability of locals for such jobs. Some even cite 'reliable work ethics' as the reason for preferring migrants.

Also Read: “North Indians Sell Panipuri In Tamil Nadu, Governor Also Like Them”, "Will Kill Him By Sending A Terrorist"; DMK Leaders’ Abusive Language Reaches New Low