Odisha workers in Surat get ‘death threats from local miscreants’

Tension has gripped Odisha migrant worker community in Surat, Gujarat after unidentified miscreants allegedly threatened to kill the Odia workers if they continued working in local factories, sources said on Monday.

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According to the sources, threatening posters have appeared on factory walls across Surat’s Amroli, Sayan, and Pipodara industrial zones, warning that workers would have their ‘limbs cut off and be burnt alive’ if they refused to stop work.

The same threats have also gone viral on social media, spreading panic among migrant labourers. Sources said groups of anti-social elements have been roaming the industrial areas at night, intimidating workers and forcing factories to shut down.

CCTV footage reportedly shows several young men standing outside factories and issuing threats to Odia workers inside, demanding that they leave the premises immediately.

Fearing for their lives, several Odia migrant workers have lodged written complaints with local police stations, seeking protection and immediate action against the culprits.

Authorities have launched an investigation to identify those responsible and to ensure the safety of migrant workers in the region.

“My factory had just started, and I went home in the evening at around 7.00 PM. They (some miscreants) came at around 8.00 PM and asked to close the factory. They threatened the workers, and the workers shut the factory. The miscreants appear to be drunkards and do not have any engagement,” a factory owner, Sandeep Bhai, said.

“Those who create disturbances are basically anti-social elements. They (labourers) sort out their issues at least 10-15 times in a year after discussing the matter with us. However, those who create disturbances on the road must be handled sternly. They (the anti-social people) must be nabbed and punished,” the president of a labour union, Vijay Mangukia, expressed.

Reported By: Sailesh